The cultural brokerage work of occupational therapists in providing culturally sensitive care.

BACKGROUND: The important place of culture within occupational therapy is widely recognized, and there is increasing emphasis on addressing the diversity of clients.

PURPOSE: This study explores how occupational therapists perform cultural brokerage when providing culturally sensitive care to immigrant families.

METHOD: A descriptive qualitative methodology was used for this study. A purposive sample of 17 occupational therapists from two Canadian paediatric rehabilitation centres were interviewed.

FINDINGS: Participants encountered several cultural and structural constraints in providing culturally sensitive care. To overcome these constraints, clinicians used four strategies: (a) translating between health systems for clients, (b) bridging different meanings of occupational therapy to make it relevant for clients, (c) establishing long-term relationships by building trust and rapport, and (d) working with clients' relational networks to help them navigate the health system.

IMPLICATIONS: Occupational therapists should advocate for both the individual needs of immigrant families and for institutional level resources to better meet the needs of diverse clients.