How do occupational therapists engage in reflexive professional practice while completing a programme evaluation?

Aim: The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand how occupational therapists engage in reflexive professional practice while completing an 8 week programme for unemployed people. The study proposes to identify key elements of reflexivity and discuss what stimulates this process in practice. Methods: Six occupational therapists recorded their reflections on delivering an 8 week intervention in a weekly written journal. Post intervention interviews comprising a semi structured, open ended question interview format which was designed to prompt participants to shift from reflective to reflexive practice, by encouraging them to explicitly discuss their clinical reasoning processes throughout the group intervention. Thematic analysis was employed to identify key mechanisms related to reflexive practice. Findings: Uncertainty emerged as a strong theme around the areas of knowledge of client group, programme design and professional identity. Uncertainty was revealed as a key driver in initiating a reflexive response in therapeutic practice. Conclusion: Occupational therapy is a dynamic, highly contextualised, client centred process. Reflexivity provides a critical examination of practice in order to aid therapeutic effectiveness. This study contributes to the understanding of reflexive practice, its importance in informing clinical thinking within occupational therapy and adds further information to an under researched area.