Habiliter les travailleurs à la prévention : description des pratiques des ergothérapeutes québécois visant la mise en place des antécédents du comportement préventif au travail

Abstract

Introduction. Occupational therapists have a unique expertise in enabling workers to adopt prevention behaviours. However, their practices in this area have not been studied yet. Aim. The aim of this study was to describe Quebec occupational therapists’ practices related to the antecedents of preventive behaviours at work. Method. According to a mixed descriptive research design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 occupational therapists working in occupational health. Interviews were designed to document the importance, frequency, and relevance of each antecedent of preventive behaviours at work, as well as to describe the concrete occupational therapists’ practices related to these antecedents. Interviews’ content was analyzed using simple quantitative analyzes and a qualitative content analysis strategy. Results. Results suggest that occupational therapists use a variety of practices supporting the development of the nine antecedents of preventive behaviours at work with their clients. Discussion. Occupational therapists appear to adopt more practices about antecedents concerning the person and the occupation, as compared to those related to the environment. In addition, current interventions mainly focus on awareness and information sharing. Conclusion. It is hoped that results of this study will provide occupational therapists with access to concrete interventions aimed at enabling workers to prevention behaviours, reinforcing their role in this emerging field of practice.