Abstract
Creating sustainable health initiatives in diverse, resource-scarce communities requires a commitment to mutuality, yet African OTs often face barriers when collaborating with Western colleagues. We describe how global partnerships can be established from the perspectives of indigenous African OTs.
Primary Author and Speaker: Anne Marie Hansen
Additional Authors and Speakers: Jaime Muñoz, Katherine Gammer, Peter Ndaa
Contributing Authors: Alex Piori, Sara Weigand
The World Federation of Occupational Therapists (1) and the American Occupational Therapy Association (2) are committed to ensuring the occupational therapy profession focuses on addressing the health, wellness, and quality of life for individuals, populations, and communities. A key guidepost for delineating this vision of our profession is ensuring the availability of accessible, culturally responsive occupational therapy that responds to our constituencies in customized ways that maximize health of all individuals and all communities (2). Western practitioners have a long history of supporting the development of OT education and services on the African continent by creating global partnerships with African researchers and practitioners. Such efforts recognize African countries often lack educational infrastructure to develop practitioners, have a shortage of trained personnel providing high quality services in well-equipped settings, and have limited opportunities for continuing professional development (3). A critical component in developing sustainable, effective global partnerships is valuing and addressing the perspective of these resource scarce partners, however, partnerships can be more or less reflective of mutuality and collaboration (4).
Very few studies have specifically examined the perspectives of host collaborators who receive OT scholars and practitioners from Western countries into their resource-scarce contexts. A mixed method research design combining survey research with qualitative focus group strategies is used to elicit and analyze African OTs perspectives when hosting global partners from Western countries (5). Snowball recruitment strategies were used to identify OTs practitioner in multiple African countries who have engaged in partnerships with Westerners. Descriptive statistics were employed to portray the characteristics of the sample and analyze numerical survey data. Qualitative data analysis of non-numerical survey items and focus group responses began with line-by-line microanalysis of data. Code-recode processes employed constant comparative analysis methods to organize these data into a robust portrayal of key findings that were grounded in the data. Data analysis of preliminary data includes survey results from 20 African practitioners from 6 countries who participated in a global partnership with Western practitioners. The results of preliminary data confirmed that all partnerships focused on Western practitioners providing education and professional development opportunities for their African hosts. Most of the African OTs (60%) felt they as host organization “had full control for setting priorities” for the outcomes of the partnership, while another 20% reported feeling as if they “had little control” defining priorities for the partnership. The three most significant challenges to effective partnerships are ensuring financial stability, certifying long-term sustainability, and establishing an equal balance in decision making power between both partners. African participants identified multiple strategies that may ensure more sustainable partnerships, including understanding needs and priorities of the host country prior to arriving, engaging in “invitation-based practice,” and collaborating with existing community partners. Data collection has been completed with a final sample size of 72 African OTs from 11 countries across Africa . Focus groups will be initiated when this data is analyzed. Results from this research study may help Western practitioners better understand and utilize effective strategies for establishing sustainable OT global partnerships for all those involved.
1. World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT). (2010). Statement on occupational therapy. Retrieved from http://www.wfot.org/Portals/0/PDF/STATEMENT%20ON%20OCCUPATIONAL%20THERAPY%20300811.pdf
2. American Occupational Therapy Association [AOTA]. (June, 2016). AOTA unveils vision 2025. Retrieved from https://www.aota.org/AboutAOTA/vision-2025.aspx http://www.aota.org/∼/media/Corporate/Files/AboutAOTA/Centennial/Background/Vision1.pdf
3. Witchger Hansen, A.M., Muñoz, J.P., Ratliff, C., Edwards, M. & Ekwan, F. (2016). Critical Perspectives of Occupational Therapy Practice in Resource Scarce African Contexts. Am J Occup Ther. 2016; 70(4_Supplement_1):7011505101p1-7011505101p1. doi:10.5014/ajot.2016.70S1-PO1052
4. Witchger Hansen, A. M. (2015). Crossing Borders: A Qualitative Study of How Occupational Therapy Educators and Scholars Develop and Sustain Global Partnerships. Occupational Therapy International, 22(3), 152-162. doi:10.1002/oti.1401