Al-Heizan Muhammad O, Alhammad Saad A, Aldaihan Mishal M, Alwadeai Khalid S
Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, SAU.
Cureus. 2023 Mar 14;15(3):e36139. doi: 10.7759/cureus.36139. eCollection 2023 Mar.
Objective Occupational therapy (OT) is an important healthcare profession in Saudi Arabia (SA). Yet, no studies have explored the status of OT education in SA. The current study aims to investigate the status of OT education in SA, as well as the barriers and solutions. Methods A cross-sectional-based survey was conducted. Institutions that offered OT programs were identified and an electronic survey was sent to OT program directors across SA that agreed to participate. The survey included items that focused on the number of students in programs, current faculty members, and their characteristics, as well as barriers and solutions to advancing the OT profession and education in SA. Results Out of 74 institutions, eight offered OT programs and all responded to the survey. Among all programs, one was inactive, seven (87.5%) were governmental institutions, and none were nationally accredited. There was a total of 538 currently enrolled students and 76 full-time faculty members. There are no current OT postgraduate programs. Staff shortages and ineffective communication between institutions (87.5%), financial barriers, and lack of knowledge/awareness of the OT profession (75%) were the most common barriers reported. Conclusion OT education is growing in SA but is still not well-represented throughout the different regions of the country. Initiatives to advance the profession are urgently needed by establishing new OT programs and departments as well as introducing OT to more diverse scopes of practice and in more clinical settings. Further research exploring OT education including curriculum content, teaching methods, and assessment strategies of OT programs. Addressing the barriers identified in the current study and methods to overcome them is needed.
目的 职业治疗（OT）在沙特阿拉伯（SA）是一项重要的医疗保健专业。然而，尚无研究探讨沙特阿拉伯职业治疗教育的现状。本研究旨在调查沙特阿拉伯职业治疗教育的现状以及障碍和解决办法。方法 开展了一项基于横断面的调查。确定了提供职业治疗课程的机构，并向沙特阿拉伯各地同意参与的职业治疗课程主任发送了电子调查问卷。该调查包括关注课程中学生人数、现任教职员工及其特征的项目，以及在沙特阿拉伯推进职业治疗专业和教育的障碍和解决办法。结果 在74所机构中，有8所提供职业治疗课程，且均回复了调查。在所有课程中，有1个未开课，7个（87.5%）是政府机构，且均未获得国家认证。目前共有538名在读学生和76名全职教职员工。目前没有职业治疗研究生课程。报告的最常见障碍包括人员短缺和机构间沟通不畅（87.5%）、资金障碍以及对职业治疗专业缺乏了解/认识（75%）。结论 沙特阿拉伯的职业治疗教育正在发展，但在该国不同地区的代表性仍然不足。迫切需要通过设立新的职业治疗课程和部门，以及将职业治疗引入更多样化的实践范围和更多临床环境来推进该专业。需要进一步研究职业治疗教育，包括课程内容、教学方法和职业治疗课程的评估策略。需要解决本研究中确定的障碍以及克服这些障碍的方法。
