Sustainable professional practices of occupational therapists from Quebec 
Les pratiques professionnelles durables d'ergothérapeutes du Québec 
Creators: name: Lafond, Valérie
name: Drolet, Marie-Josée
Publisher: name: Communauté pour l’Avancement de la Recherche Appliquée Francophone en Ergothérapie (CARAFE)
Year: 2021
Subjects: Ergothérapie, Crise climatique, Changements climatiques, Durabilité, Écoresponsabilité
Occupational therapy, Climate crisis, Climatic changes, Sustainability, Eco-responsibility

description: 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.
description: Les changements climatiques constituent la plus grande menace contemporaine à la santé du 21e siècle (Organisation mondiale de la santé, 2015). Il est dorénavant plus facile d’en identifier la cause exacte grâce aux recherches de plus en plus nombreuses sur le sujet. Dans son cinquième rapport, le Groupe d’experts intergouvernementaux sur l’évolution du climat (2014) affirme que les changements climatiques sont principalement dus aux occupations humaines. Considérant que les ergothérapeutes sont des experts en habilitation aux occupations, il s’ensuit qu’ils sont concernés par ces changements et qu’ils ont possiblement un rôle à jouer dans la lutte contre ceux-ci. L’objectif de la recherche était de décrire les pratiques (micro, méso et macro) actualisées ou envisagées par des ergothérapeutes francophones du Québec pour favoriser le développement durable au sein de la profession. Pour atteindre cet objectif, une enquête web a été réalisée à laquelle 29 ergothérapeutes du Québec ont participé. L’étude a permis d’identifier de nombreuses pratiques durables actualisées par ces ergothérapeutes, lesquelles se déclinent en douze catégories distinctes appartenant aux différents domaines du cadre théorique éthique de Glaser (1994), ainsi que des pratiques durables envisagées. Cette étude novatrice rend compte du fait que plusieurs ergothérapeutes québécois sont des agents de changement dans leur milieu de pratique. Considérant que les droits occupationnels des clients de demain risquent d’être compromis, si le climat continue de se dérégler, les résultats de cette recherche ont le potentiel d’outiller les ergothérapeutes désireux d’écoresponsabilité à mettre en place des pratiques durables dans leur pratique professionnelle.
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Climate change is the greatest 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 Québec to promote sustainable development within the profession. To achieve this objective, a Web survey was realized in which 29 occupational therapists from Québec 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 other considered sustainable practices. This innovative study reveals the fact that many occupational therapists from Québec 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.