Use of creative activities in occupational therapy practice in Sweden

Abstract

The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of creative activities in occupational therapy in Sweden and how often Swedish occupational therapists use creative activities as a means of intervention. A web-mail survey was sent to 2975 Swedish occupational therapists working in health care at regional, county council or primary health care level, and those working in vocational rehabilitation. A total of 1867 (63%) answered the questionnaire and showed that 44% did use creative activities as a means of intervention and most often by practitioners working in psychiatric health care. The most commonly used form of creative activity was arts and crafts followed by gardening. This web-mail survey was based on a limited amount of items regarding creative activities. Further research should focus on in-depth inquiries about how occupational therapists and their patients perceive the use of creative activities as a means of treatment in occupational therapy.