Guay Manon
Faculté de médecine et des sciences de la santé de l'Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec.
Can J Occup Ther. 2012 Apr;79(2):108-19. doi: 10.2182/cjot.2012.79.2.6.
With the current scarcity of occupational therapists, the idea of resorting to the use of support personnel in occupational therapy does not have consensus. In fact, occupational therapists are faced with service delivery options for which they are ill-informed.
To provide a synthesis of the Canadian and Quebec perspectives pertaining to the possibility for "skill mix" that is to say the participation of support personnel in occupational therapy, and to discuss ways in which they can participate.
"Skill mix" would allow an occupational therapist to delegate certain clinical activities to support personnel, so as to assert the full potential of occupational therapy. The Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists and l'Ordre des ergothérapeutes du Quebec recognize the contribution of support personnel and offer markers for the implementation of practices utilizing their services.
This paper offers a critical reflection on this topic that is in need of further study.
