Transcultural Occupational Therapy in the United Kingdom: Concepts and Research

Abstract

The United Kingdom (UK) today is an ethnically diverse society. Legislation and the profession's own code of conduct highlight the need for occupational therapists to engage in culturally sensitive practice. This article comprises a contextual analysis of transcultural occupational therapy in the UK based upon a review of the research published in the British Journal of Occupational Therapy during 1990–1997. The article focuses initially on terminology to allow a clearer understanding of the issues surrounding transcultural service provision, and the dominant models currently used to conceptualise and implement transcultural practice in health care are also outlined. Discussion of both provides the contextual basis for an analysis of the research. From the material examined, it appears that cultural sensitivity needs to be developed at all levels before occupational therapists can be said to be providing an equitable service to the ethnically diverse communities of the UK.