Barriers and Facilitators to Occupational Therapy for the Frail Older Person within Primary Care in Belgium

Authors

Anne Ledoux, UCLouvainFollow
Stijn De Baets, Ghent UniversityFollow
Thérèse Van Durme, UClouvainFollow
Patricia De Vriendt, Vrije Universiteit BrusselFollow
Dominique Van de Velde, Ghent UniversityFollow
Sophie Thunus, UC LouvainFollow

Abstract

Introduction: The population is quickly aging in Belgium and there is an increasing number of older frail adults. Occupational therapy (OT) in primary care (PC) favors the stay-at-home of frail older persons through its preventive action on the person, the environment, and/or the task. However, OT is not well implemented in Belgian PC. We aimed to investigate the implementation of OT, to support the frail older person living at home, within primary care in Belgium. Methods: We performed a secondary thematic analysis, based on data collected during an implementation study of an OT guideline for this population. Data were collected via four online focus groups, 16 individual online interviews, and a world café (N = 31 participants) which allowed us to triangle the data. The participants had various background and came from all the Belgian regions allowing us to benefit from a great range of opinions. Results: The analysis enables to identify barriers to OT implementation related to the financing system (e.g. significant lack of reimbursement in PC), the professionals’ knowledge (e.g. unknown OT roles and interventions), the communication (e.g. between professionals), and the territorial healthcare organization of the Belgian primary care (e.g. lack of PC structuration). But some facilitators also exist. Conclusion: OT is poorly implemented in primary care in Belgium, but with the aging population, the PC structuration and some display of valuable aspects of OT, it may be able to seize the opportunity to gain a firmer foothold in the Belgian PC.

Author Bio(s)

Anne Ledoux, OT, PhD. student, is an occupational therapist, part-time lecturer in occupational therapy at the Leonardo da Vinci University of Applied Sciences and part-time PhD student, through the Be.Hive Interdisciplinary Primary Care Chair, at UCLouvain, Institute for Health and Society, Brussels, Belgium

Stijn De Baets, OT, PhD., is a lecturer at the Ghent University in the Occupational Therapy Master Program and a post-doctoral researcher at the Ghent University and at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium.

Thérèse Van Durme, SN, PhD., is a fellow researcher at the Institute of Health and Society, and lecturer at the Faculty of Public Health, both at the UCLouvain, Brussels, Belgium. She is also the coordinator of Be.Hive, the French speaking Interdisciplinary Primary Care Chair.

Patricia De Vriendt, OT, PhD., she is also a gerontologist and a professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium. She is the new coordinator of the Academie voor de Eerste Lijn, the Flemish Interdisciplinary Primary Care Chair.

Dominique Van de Velde, OT, PhD., is a lecturer and a researcher at the Ghent University, Belgium, in the OT Master Program. He is an important member of the Academie voor de Eerste Lijn, the Flemish Interdisciplinary Primary Care Chair.

Sophie Thunus, Sociology PhD., is a member of the Health and Society Institute (IRSS), Professor of management of healthcare services and Dean of the Faculty of Public Health, UCLouvain, Belgium.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the study participants and the members of the research team who contributed to this study.

Recommended Citation

Ledoux A, De Baets S, Van Durme T, De Vriendt P, Van de Velde D, Thunus S. Barriers and Facilitators to Occupational Therapy for the Frail Older Person within Primary Care in Belgium. The Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice. 2025 Jul 28;23(3), Article 18.