Over the past 20 years, the world has seen a slow but steady shift in thinking about illness and wellness and about what constitutes health and health care. Concepts such as primary health care, disease and injury prevention, disability postponement, health promotion and population health are the focal points of this shift. In order to contribute in this evolving health environment, occupational therapists need to understand this terminology and make the link between these concepts and their philosophy and skills in enabling health through occupation. To contribute to this understanding, the objectives of this paper are to review the history of occupational therapy as it relates to recent shifts in thinking about health and health care, to define and describe briefly the relevant health and health care terms and concepts, and to illustrate the existing and potential links between the practice of occupational therapy and these health and health care concepts.
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