Proceedings of the 8th World Conference on Qualitative Research

Introduction:
In South Africa (SA), newly graduated occupational therapists (OTs) are required to complete a year of community service (CS) in public healthcare facilities before registering as independent practitioners. During this year, they are expected to perform all the roles of an occupational therapist, in whichever setting they are placed. Settings can vary from well-established therapy departments in urban hospitals to isolated and under-resourced rural healthcare facilities. Support in these facilities varies, with rural CS OTs possibly finding themselves geographically isolated from experienced clinicians.
Goals/Methods:
This research aims to explore the experience of CS occupational therapists’ in delivering wheelchair services (a highly technical skill) in rural settings in SA, to understand the barriers, facilitators, and their support needs. Using a qualitative case study approach, the study examines an online community of practice, especially constituted for the research, consisting of CS OTs, an expert in wheelchair prescription and the researcher. The study was advertised through online platforms where CS OTs volunteered to participant and were selected using purposeful and snowball sampling. Data collection will occur over four months, consisting of fortnightly online meetings, discussing topics that participants identified as meaningful. Alongside these meetings, participants engage in a WhatsApp group for regular communication about wheelchair services. Reflexive thematic analysis will be used to analyze the data.
Results:
Anticipated results include an understanding of the experience of wheelchair delivery in rural SA, the factors that influence CS OTs perceived efficacy of wheelchair delivery, and their support needs. These results will be valuable to stakeholders involved in creating courses and support structures to ensure these therapists feel supported in delivering wheelchair services.
Conclusion:
This study will contribute to bridging the current research gap regarding the experiences of CS OTs in rural settings in SA to include their experience in providing wheelchair services.