The use of occupation and activity concepts in Occupational Therapy: a systematic literature review

Introduction: The occupation and activity concepts are central for Occupational Therapy, and have been used diversely over time according to the country, culture and historical time. Objective: This study aims at contributing to the knowledge on the use of occupation and activity concepts in Occupational Therapy in the national and international literature. Method: We conducted a systematic literature review on the subject. Results: The literature research explored full articles published between 2003 and 2013, in total 19 articles were included in this study. The texts report the importance of the adequate use of terminologies in occupational therapy as a means to strengthen the profession, and promote the coherence in the Occupational Therapy research and practice. A few differences and similarities in the use of the terms activity and occupation in the national and international literature are described. We noticed that the term activity as the term occupation both refer to a practice that is able to influence the health and illness process. Conclusion: The concepts of occupation and activity are historically developing, and more research about that matter is necessary to deepen the knowledge in this subject.