Occupational justice as a quality indicator for occupational therapy services.
ABSTRACT Although a key concept in occupational therapy theoretical documents, the issue of occupational justice continues to be elusive to the everyday practitioner. The purpose of this article is to outline a quality improvement project focused on the incorporation of occupational justice concepts into daily treatment. For the purposes of this quality improvement project, occupational justice was explored through practitioners' perceptions of clients' preparation to face societal, physical, and political barriers based on the occupational therapy services they received. Project participants were able to identify current utilization of these concepts, barriers to utilizing concepts, and potential avenues for incorporation of occupational justice into daily practice. This project demonstrates that quality improvement activities, driven by practitioners providing direct care, can enrich occupational therapy programs and lead to the inclusion of social justice practices in occupational therapy services.
Sara Kate Riegel, MS, OTR/L, is Staff Occupational Therapist, Spinal Cord Injury Service, Kernan Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Baltimore, Maryland.
Sara
S
Kate Riegel
Kate
K
Eglseder