title: International Occupational Therapy Research Priorities.
abstract: Occupational therapy is a global profession represented by the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT). International research priorities are needed for strategic guidance on global occupational therapy practice. The objective of this study was to develop international research priorities to reflect global occupational therapy practice. A Delphi study using three rounds of electronic surveys, distributed to WFOT member organizations and WFOT accredited universities, was conducted. Data were analyzed after each round, and priorities were presented for rating and ranking in order of importance. Forty-six (53%) out of 87 WFOT member countries participated in the Delphi process. Eight research priorities were confirmed by the final electronic survey round. Differences were observed in rankings given by member organizations and university respondents. Despite attrition at Round 3, the final research priorities will help to focus research efforts in occupational therapy globally. Follow-up research is needed to determine how the research priorities are being adopted internationally.
authors.affiliation: 1 World Federation of Occupational Therapists, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.affiliation: 2 The University of Sydney, Lidcombe, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Lynette
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mackenzie
authors.affiliation: 3 The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Coppola
authors.affiliation: 4 University of Western Ontario, London, Canada.
authors.forename: Liliana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Alvarez
authors.affiliation: 5 Riga Stradins University, Latvia.
authors.forename: Lolita
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cibule
authors.affiliation: 6 Russian Association of Occupational Therapists, Saint Petersburg, Russia.
authors.forename: Sergey
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maltsev
authors.affiliation: 7 University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Siew Yim
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Loh
authors.affiliation: 8 University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe.
authors.forename: Tecla
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mlambo
authors.affiliation: 9 University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD, USA.
authors.forename: Moses N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Ikiugu
authors.affiliation: 10 Institute for Rehabilitation, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Zdenka
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Pihlar
authors.affiliation: 11 Chiang Mai University, Thailand.
authors.forename: Sarinya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sriphetcharawut
authors.affiliation: 1 World Federation of Occupational Therapists, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Sue
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baptiste
authors.affiliation: 1 World Federation of Occupational Therapists, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ledgerd
mesh_terms: D003697:Delphi Technique; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D009788:Occupational Therapy; D012106:Research; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: aging; chronic conditions; evidence-based practice; participation; sustainable community development