Sustainable professional practices of occupational therapists from Quebec

Abstract

Climate change is the greatest contemporary threat to health in the 21st century (World Health Organization, 2015). It is now easier to identify the exact cause thanks to the increasing research on the subject. In its fifth report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2014) argues that climate change is mainly due to human occupations. Considering that occupational therapists are specialists of human occupations, it follows that they are concerned by these changes and that they possibly have a role to play in fighting against them. The objective of the research was to describe the practices (micro, meso and macro) implemented or considered by French-speaking occupational therapists from Quebec to promote sustainable development within the profession. To achieve this objective, a web survey was realized in which 29 occupational therapists from Quebec participated. The study identified many implemented sustainable practices by these occupational therapists, which can be divided in twelve distinct categories belonging to different areas of Glaser's ethical theoretical framework (1994), as well as the considered sustainable practices. This innovative study reveals the fact that many occupational therapists from Quebec are change agents in their practice. Considering that the occupational rights of tomorrow's clients are at risk of being compromised, if the climate continues to disrupt, the results of this research have the potential to help occupational therapists desiring eco-responsibility to implement sustainable practices in their professional practice.