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Abstract

Purpose: Professional reasoning (PR) in occupational therapy (OT) is a central theme in the health professions. Understanding how it is taught and which strategies demonstrate a measurable impact is fundamental to strengthening professional training. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the scientific evidence on the reported impact of different educational strategies for fostering PR development in OT students and practitioners. Methods: The review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines and registered in PROSPERO. Databases and journals were searched, including studies published between 2014 and 2024. Eligible articles were quantitative or mixed-methods designs, and the risk of bias was assessed using RoB 2 or ROBINS-I V2. Results: Twenty-one studies were included (12 mixed, 9 quantitative). One randomized controlled trial showed a low risk of bias, while the remaining 20 quasi-experimental studies presented risks ranging from moderate to critical. The identified educational strategies were classified into five categories: case-based learning; curricular innovation and pedagogical redesign; simulation; fieldwork and service-learning; and the use of structured resources. The findings suggested a positive impact of various educational strategies, especially those based on real or simulated contexts, including supervision, structured feedback, and repetition of the strategy at different times. Conclusions: Despite the results, the heterogeneity of the designs, measures, and methodological limitations restricted the generalizability of the findings. This review highlighted the need for stronger and more transferable evidence to inform future pedagogical innovation in occupational therapy training, providing a starting point for comparative research in other health disciplines.

Author Bio(s)

Soledad Sánchez-Zamorano , Master of Science, is an occupational therapist and adjunct professor at the University of O'Higgins, Chile. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in Health, Disability, Dependency, and Wellbeing at the University of Salamanca, Spain, where her research focuses on professional reasoning in occupational therapy.

María Paz Ossandón-Pérez , Master of Science, is an occupational therapist and associate professor at the Metropolitan University of Educational Sciences in Santiago, Chile. Her academic work focuses on clinical reasoning and the development of professional competencies in health sciences education.

Samanta Rolack-Jaramillo , Master of Science, is an occupational therapist and Director of the Curriculum Observatory at the University of Atacama in Copiapó, Chile. She specializes in curriculum design, educational quality, and monitoring of educational processes in higher education.

Pedro Moruno-Miralles , PhD in Psychology, is an occupational therapist and associate professor at the University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. He holds a PhD in Clinical and Health Psychology and is a leading researcher in the theoretical foundations and history of occupational therapy.

Acknowledgements

This study is part of the doctoral research conducted by the primary author within the PhD program in Health, Disability, Dependence, and Well-being at the University of Salamanca. The authors thank the researchers whose work on professional reasoning has enriched the field and informed this study. We also express our gratitude to Gisela Elena Saavedra Herrera for providing professional translation and linguistic editing services for this manuscript.

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