Knowledge about and Attitudes of Interdisciplinary Team Members toward Occupational Therapy Practice: Implications and Future Directions

Abstract

Objectives: In Kuwait, knowledge and attitudes of the health care teams toward occupational therapy practice (OTP) have not been investigated. This current study sought to explore the knowledge about and attitudes of interdisciplinary team members toward OTP.

Subjects and methods: This cross-sectional study involved developing and validating a tool to serve the purpose of the study. We used a modified Delphi method to develop a tool that assessed occupational therapy (OT) knowledge (OT areas of practice, domains, and philosophy) as well as attitudes toward OTP. Descriptive statistics were utilized, and nonparametric tests were used to compare knowledge and attitudes along with the demographic data.

Results: A convenience sample of 98 participants from various disciplines participated in this study. The tool was found to have an adequate content validity for a total of 27 items and satisfactory reliability (internal consistency); Cronbach's α-values for the knowledge and attitudes subscales were 0.88 and 0.74, respectively. The overall knowledge level of OTP among the participants was limited, whereas their attitudes were favorable. Characteristics of being a female (p = 0.01), a nurse (p = 0.02), and working experiences ≥10 years (p = 0.01) contributed significantly to the knowledge of OTP. The results further indicated that participants working in general hospitals (p = 0.02) and working with occupational therapists (p < 0.001) showed significantly better attitudes toward OTP.

Conclusion: For effective collaborative practice and better patients' outcomes, the study findings recommend the development of interprofessional initiative committees targeting educational settings as well as clinical environments.

Keywords: Collaborative practice; Interprofessional education; Kuwait; Occupational therapy.