Human occupation for public health promotion: new directions for occupational therapy practice with persons with arthritis.

Occupational therapy seldom reports the outcomes of intervention programs to reflect the impact on public health indicators. Consequently, our professions' effect on public health goals is limited. We propose professional coherence in intervention practices and in reporting of screening, monitoring, and outcome indicators in population-level statistics that will enable occupational therapy to take an integral role in health promotion for people with chronic diseases (or disorders), including those with arthritis, in the 21st century.