Wheelchair service provision education in Canadian occupational therapy programs

Occupational therapists in Canada play a central role in wheelchair service provision. Inadequate entry-to-practice professional education has been identified as a major concern in the delivery of wheelchair related services. The goal of this study was to describe the current education provided in Canadian occupational therapy programs and to map this content against the recommended WHO 8-step wheelchair service provision process. The study used a descriptive cross-sectional online survey design. Educators were recruited from accredited occupational therapy programs in Canada. Participants completed a short socio-demographic questionnaire and a survey with 97 closed- and open-ended questions regarding the wheelchair service provision education provided in their curriculum. Survey data was then mapped according to the WHO 8-step wheelchair service provision process. Twenty-nine educators from all Canadian occupational therapy programs (n = 14) were enrolled. Most participants (55.2%) were full-time faculty members that had been teaching in occupational therapy programs for an average time of 10.9 years. All programs covered at least 4 of the WHO recommended steps, but only 5 programs covered all steps. Assessment and Prescription steps were covered in every program while the Referral & Appointment, Funding & Ordering, Fitting and User Training steps were covered in most programs. The pedagogic approach, the amount of time dedicated to wheelchair-related content, and the type of evaluation used varied greatly between programs. This study is the first to provide a detailed description of wheelchair service provision education across all Canadian occupational therapy programs according to the WHO 8 steps and provides a foundation for collaborative efforts to promote best practice in entry-to-practice professional education.