Development of preventive behavior at work: Description of occupational therapists' practice.

BACKGROUND: Integrating more accident prevention interventions into different workplace settings as a component of the role of occupational therapists has a significant relevance recognized by the occupational therapy professional community. Even if some studies suggested that occupational therapists already provide prevention interventions, and that other studies showed the efficacy of such interventions, the literature does not offer a comprehensive understanding of the specific practice of occupational therapists engaging in accident prevention in workplace settings.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to describe the practice of occupational therapists toward the development of preventive workplace behavior among their clients.

METHOD: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 occupational therapists. Phenomenological analysis was used to examine the content of the interviews.

RESULTS: Results suggest that occupational therapists form representations of preventive behavior that are consistent with theory, but those are limited and do not take into account the complexity of the concept. Results of the interviews found eight different interventions provided by occupational therapists toward the development of their clients' preventive behavior in the workplace.

CONCLUSION: Occupational therapists recognize their role in supporting their clients' development of preventive behavior at work. However, they appear to lack a conceptual understanding and resources to help them in their practice toward prevention.