Alberta Occupational Therapists' Perspectives on and Participation in Research

Abstract

To determine the current level of research participation of Alberta occupational therapists, the Edmonton Research Orientation (ERO) survey, with an additional section measuring perceptions of barriers to research, was mailed to 610 Alberta occupational therapists. From an initial response rate of 52%, there were 293 useable responses. Seventy percent of therapists reported no participation in research. There was an association between level of education and greater participation in research but participation in research was not limited to those with advanced degrees. Therapists who were actually participating in research had higher ERO scores. There were no differences between therapists at different levels of research participation in their perceptions of barriers to research. Limited time, limited research resources, concerns about the usefulness of research, and questions as to whether all therapists need to be involved in research were some of the issues raised by respondents. The results are compared to a similar study of Alberta speech-language pathologists. Recommendations for facilitating clinical research are included.