Occupational therapists support the occupational participation of people who are dying yet remain underutilized in end-of-life care. The purpose of this article was to explore how occupational therapists develop their role in end-of-life care to provide strategies to address underutilization. Using a grounded-theory method, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 occupational therapists. Three themes emerged which demonstrate participants’ role development process. Participants’ experiences with dying (Close Experience of Loss) often instilled the importance of end-of-life care. Led by these convictions (Willing to Do It), participants developed skills for end-of-life care. Reflecting on their experiences and treatment outcomes (Making a Difference), participants self-validated their role. The Model of Occupational Therapists’ Role Development in End-of-Life Care captured this process. Personal experiences and critical self-reflection may provide an adaptive means to drive role development and appropriately increase end-of-life care occupational therapy utilization.
American Occupational Therapy Association. (2016). The role of occupational therapy in end-of-life care. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 70(Suppl. 2), 7012410075p1–7012410075p16. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2016.706S17
2.
AshworthE. (2014). Utilizing participation in meaningful occupation as an intervention approach to support the acute model of inpatient palliative care. Palliative and Supportive Care, 12(5), 409–412. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1478951513000734
3.
BowyerP. (2019). Formation of identity and occupational competence: Occupational adaptation in the model of human occupation. In GrajoL. C.BoiselleA. K. (Eds.), Adaptation through occupation: Multidimensional perspectives (pp. 105–121). SLACK.
4.
ChowJ. K. (2020). How the utilization of occupational therapy in end-of-life care is determined. ProQuest Dissertations. https://hdl.handle.net/11274/12588
5.
CorbinJ.StraussA. (2015). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory (4th ed.). SAGE.
6.
EvaG.MorganD. (2018). Mapping the scope of occupational therapy practice in palliative care: A European association for palliative care cross-sectional survey. Palliative Medicine, 32(5), 960–968. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269216318758928
7.
ForsythK.DeshpandeS.KielhofnerG.HenrikssonC.HaglundL.OlsonL.SkinnerS.KulkarniS. (2006). A user’s manual for the Occupational Circumstances Assessment Interview and Rating Scale (OCAIRS). The MOHO Clearinghouse Department of Occupational Therapy.
8.
GuyL.CranwellK.HitchD.McKinstryC. (2020). Reflective practice facilitation within occupational therapy supervision processes: A mixed method study. Australian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 67, 320–329. https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1630.12660
9.
HammillK.ByeR.CookC. (2014). Occupational therapy for people living with a life-limiting illness: A thematic review. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 77(11), 582–589. https://doi.org/10.4276/030802214X14151078348594
10.
HooperB.MolineuxM.WoodW. (2020). The subject-centered integrative learning model: A new model for teaching occupational therapy’s distinct value. Journal of Occupational Therapy Education, 4(2), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.26681/jote.2020.040201
11.
KeesingS.RosenwaxL. (2011). Is occupational missing from occupational therapy in palliative care?Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 58(5), 329–336. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1630.2011.00958.x
12.
Knecht-SabresL. J.WeppnerA.PowersC.SieselB. (2018). Do health-care professionals really understand the role of occupational therapy in hospice care?American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, 36(5), 379–386. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049909118812858
13.
LeeS. W.KielhofnerG. (2017). Volition. In TaylorR. (Ed.), Kielhofner’s model of human occupation (5th ed., pp. 38–56). Wolters Kluwer Health.
PaiH. (2016). An integrated model for the effects of self-reflection and clinical experiential leaning on clinical nursing performance in nursing students: A longitudinal study. Nursing Education Today, 45(2016), 156–162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.07.011
16.
PattonM. Q. (2015). Qualitative research & evaluation methods. SAGE.
17.
SaldañaJ. (2016). The coding manual for qualitative researchers (3rd ed.). SAGE.
18.
SchedlitzkiD. (2018). Developing apprentice leaders through critical reflection. Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, 9(2), 237–247. https://doi.org/10.1108/HESWBL-09-2018-0095
19.
SchellB. A. B.SchellJ. (2018). Clinical and professional reasoning in occupational therapy (2nd ed.). Wolters Kluwer.
20.
SvidenG. A.ThamK.BorellL. (2010). Involvement in everyday life for people with a life threatening illness. Palliative and Supportive Care, 8(3), 345–352. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1478951510000143
21.
TaylorR. (2017). Kielhofner’s model of human occupation (5th ed.). Wolters Kluwer Health.
UsherK.JacksonD. (2014). Phenomenology. In MillsJ.BirksM. (Eds.), Qualitative methodology: A practical guide (pp. 181–198). SAGE. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781473920163
24.
WufflersT.CarmichaelT. (2020). Operationalizing an internal compass toward true north in the development of authentic leadership: A coaching approach. Journal of Leadership Studies, 14(3), 6–23. https://doi.org/10.1002/jls.21709
