title: The meaning gap in occupational therapy: finding meaning in our own occupation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Occupation is a core concept of our profession, yet little is understood about how therapists use occupation in clinical practice.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study explores frontline clinicians' experience with occupation-based practice in a large academic health sciences centre.
  
  
  METHODS
  A qualitative constructivist study was conducted using thematic analysis, following in-depth interviews with 12 occupational therapists.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants described the existence of two realities: Occupational therapy as they felt it should be practiced and as it actually is practiced. When the two were incongruent, participants experienced a meaning gap, which was expressed through four themes to reveal that a personal sense of occupation guides practice and transforms the meaning of the job.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The exploration of personal occupational meaning through conscious self-reflection and co-creation of meaning with clients and their health care teams may serve to bridge the meaning gap.
authors.affiliation: Occupational Therapy Services, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada, M4N 3M5. maiken@rogers.com
authors.forename: Fran E
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Aiken
authors.forename: Anne M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Fourt
authors.forename: Isabella K S
authors.initials: IK
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Helene J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Polatajko
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D009788:Occupational Therapy