An agenda for occupational therapy's contribution to collaborative chronic disease research

Background. To meet the needs of adults with chronic diseases, Canadian health care is moving toward more interdisciplinary, collaborative practice. There is limited high-quality evidence to support practice in this area. Occupational therapists can play a significant role in this area of practice and research. Purpose. To develop an agenda of priority areas within collaborative chronic disease research to which occupational therapy can make a contribution. Methods. The project involved literature and Internet review, a consensus meeting with a range of stakeholders, a survey of occupational therapists,and synthesis of findings to create a research agenda. Findings. An interdisciplinary and intersectoral group of stakeholders identified seven main priority areas. One priority is specific to occupational therapy while the remaining six cross disciplines. Implications. The research agenda can support funding applications and encourage interdisciplinary research collaboration to ultimately produce research evidence that can benefit people with chronic diseases.