SWOT analysis: Results from the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) Occupational Narratives Database (OND) project

Abstract

Introduction:

The World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) Occupational Narratives Database (OND) project strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) were explored.

Method:

SWOT thematic analysis of digital stories uploaded on the OND platform was conducted.

Results:

A total of 761 digital stories were published from over 29 countries and 14 different languages. They highlighted the significance of everyday activities, social participation, adaptation to life circumstances, barriers to participation, and the importance of cultural engagement as emerging key themes. The SWOT analysis identified diversity of digital stories from multiple countries and different languages, provision of experiential learning, and launching global initiatives to raise public awareness about occupations as strengths and opportunities for growth and development. Lack of variety in terms of co-occupations, contextual environments, languages used, lack of submissions from certain countries, lack of sustainable social media representations, and consequently limited growth in digital stories were all indicated as weaknesses and threats.

Conclusion:

The OND project has helped broaden perspectives and understand the diverse meaning of occupations and value of occupational participation across different settings, age groups, and cultures. It provided rich insights into the ways people engage in meaningful occupations and profiled occupation as the domain of occupational therapists globally.

Keywords

digital story everyday life occupation occupational narrative occupational participation occupational therapy

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