This article describes a qualitative study which considered if a client's sexual expression was a legitimate domain of concern of the occupational therapist. The research used an inductive strategy of depth interviews with 10 practitioners who represented a breadth of practice (children, adults and elderly people; acute and community settings; and physical and psychosocial conditions, learning disabilities, alcohol abuse, HIV and AIDS). The focus of the study was to discover the attitudes, practice and confidence of occupational therapists to address sexual issues.
Part 1 reviews relevant literature, outlines the methodology and briefly reports the results. Part 2 will discuss the results, especially their implications for professional education and practice, and the need for further research.
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