Allied health clinicians’ experiences of implementing Occupational Performance Coaching and its application into clinical practice. A qualitative study using realist semi-structured interviews

Background: This research is nested within a larger study, called the MANA study (Meaning, Agency and Nurturing, Autonomy). Occupational Performance Coaching (OPC) has been shown to support families and their children to achieve participation-focused goals. OPC training supports allied health therapists to learn how to coach. Purpose: This study explores allied health therapist perceptions of learning and implementing OPC in their service, including their fidelity scores. Method: Realist, semi-structured interviews were completed with occupational (n=8), physio (n=1), and speech language (n=2) therapists (n=11). Questions explored the therapists’ views of learning and implementing OPC in their area of work and using OPC with their clients. Data were analysed thematically. Results: Therapists described their experiences of OPC in two phases: learning OPC and implementing OPC. The learning OPC phase included the sub-themes of needing to unlearn before learning to coach (theme 1) and actively managing learning needs (theme 2). Implementing OPC phase included the sub-themes of ‘jumping off the deep end’ (theme 3) and a widening gap between OPC and usual care (theme 4). Implications: From occupational-, physio- and speech language therapist perspectives, OPC enabled therapists to see different viewpoints and was different from normal care. However, therapists struggled with some elements of implementation in their service.