Occupational therapy in primary care: Results from a national survey: L'ergothérapie dans les soins primaires : Résultats d'un sondage national.

BACKGROUND.: To support integration of occupational therapy in primary care and research in this area, it is critical to document examples of occupational therapy in primary care. PURPOSE.: This study describes occupational therapy roles and models of practice used in primary care. METHOD.: An electronic survey was sent to occupational therapists across Canada. Participants were identified using purposive and snowball sampling strategies. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. FINDINGS.: Respondents ( n = 52) were almost exclusively working on interprofessional teams. Intervention was provided most frequently to individual clients, and services were provided both within the home/community and in the clinic. Occupational therapists offered a range of health promotion and prevention services, predominantly to adults and older adults. A number of supports and barriers to the integration of occupational therapy were identified. IMPLICATIONS.: A growing number of occupational therapists are working in primary care providing a broad range of services across the life span.