Occupation-based interventions in the acute care setting: Perspectives on the Person-Environment-Occupation model of practice

Occupational therapy’s roots in “doing” date back to the 1910s, in improving the wellness of shell-shocked soldiers (Jonas, 2023). Mary Reilly is famously quoted in her 1962 Eleanor Clarke Slagle lecture as saying, “man through the use of his hands, as they are energized by mind and will, can influence the state of his own health” (Reilly, 1962). This perspective is unique to the practice of occupational therapy but can be difficult to describe to other health care professionals, patients, and even other practitioners. To address this challenge, concepts of the Person-Environment-Occupation model (Law et al., 1996) can be used for better understanding the role of occupational therapy in the acute care setting. As evidenced by Wall and colleagues’ (2023) systematic review, evidence demonstrates the positive outcomes experienced by patients who participate in occupation-based interventions. Using the Person-Environment-Occupation (PEO) model, the purpose of this article is to examine the influence of the environment on the person and occupational engagement within the framework of Western medicine, followed by steps to create a more occupation-based practice in the context of the acute care setting, and advice for addressing the barriers to occupation-based practice.