Exploring Canadian Occupational Therapists’ Perceptions on Health Disparities: An Interpretative Descriptive Study

Background. Many Canadians experience health disparities when accessing health care. Occupational therapists have historically advocated for the elimination of health disparities. However, occupational therapy was founded in colonial ideals and systems, which continue to perpetuate health disparities. Purpose. Understand how Canadian occupational therapists describe the challenges and opportunities involved in addressing health disparities in provision of care. Methods. We used an interpretative descriptive methodology. Criterion and snowball sampling was used to recruit participants across Canada. Data from semistructured individual interviews were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings. A total of 11 occupational therapists (M = 1, F = 10) participated. Four central themes were identified: (1) health equity is a core principle of occupational therapy, (2) systemic barriers are central to the occupational therapy process and can affect the delivery and access of equity-centric care, (3) occupational therapists as advocates against health disparities, and (4) health disparities must be considered when hiring and retaining occupational therapists in practice. Conclusion: Our study highlights the successes and challenges of the field of occupational therapy in addressing health disparities, providing constructive suggestions to move the field forward. Our study provides important implications for research, practice, and policy; these goals are aligned with recent initiatives from the Canadian Association for Occupational Therapists.