The American Occupational Therapy Association’s Centennial Vision articulates the need for occupational therapy to be science driven and evidence based in major practice areas. This article provides a review on the state of the occupational therapy research published in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy (AJOT) in the area of productive aging in the past 2 years (2008–2009). The article identifies the types of research published, assesses how well the journal is meeting the Centennial Vision in productive aging research, and discusses implications for utilization of the evidence by occupational therapy practitioners. Although many basic research articles provide a foundation for future intervention development and further define practice roles, the AJOT articles addressing productive aging represent diverse research questions and have produced a body of knowledge that is not easily translated to practice. More effectiveness studies are needed to provide adequate evidence for occupational therapy intervention with older adults.

One method to determine trends in occupational therapy research is to survey the literature published in occupational therapy journals. This study describes the types and topics of articles published in five prominent occupational therapy journals over a 5-year span. Feature articles published between 2001 and 2005 were analyzed to determine the types of articles and research and subject areas. The percentage of research articles published between 2001 and 2005 increased from 65% to 78% of all articles published and is higher than previous reports. More than 70% of the research articles used designs that substantially contribute to the evidence base for occupational therapy (defined by Kielhofner, Hammel, Finlayson, Helfrich, & Taylor [2004] as correlational–comparison, experimental, qualitative, and meta-analysis). Of the research articles, 60% addressed pediatric, physical disability, and rehabilitation topics. The 5-year period showed a trend of increasing frequency of geriatric and pediatric topics in research reports. Scholars should emphasize research designs that build the evidence for occupational therapy approaches and practices and focus on research topics of highest value to society.

OBJECTIVES. The purpose of this survey study was to investigate occupational therapy practice errors in physical rehabilitation and geriatric practice settings. METHOD. Two hundred and forty-five (245) out of 994 surveyed occupational therapists who have practiced or currently practice in physical rehabilitation or geriatrics settings responded to a self-developed questionnaire. Descriptive statistical analysis was used to describe practice errors as to the types, causes, impact on, and responses of occupational therapists and work sites. Inferential statistical analysis was used to explore the relationships among different variables of interest including: the effect of the number of years of practice experience on the perceived impact of making errors on practice; the relationship between disclosure or nondisclosure of errors; and the types of coping strategies used by occupational therapists and work site administrators’ responses to errors. RESULTS. The vast majority of practice errors occurred during the intervention phase of the occupational therapy process. Misjudgment, lack of preparation, and lack of experience were reported as the top three causes of practice errors. Various coping strategies—such as compensating for the errors by voluntarily devoting additional time for care of the patient, making and following a corrective plan, concentrating on the next step, or not letting errors interfere with daily work—were used by the occupational therapists when errors occurred. The types of coping strategies and work site responses appeared to be associated with the disclosure or nondisclosure of errors. CONCLUSION. Errors occur in occupational therapy practice. Making errors has considerable impact on occupational therapists as well as their future practice. However, disclosure of errors can often lead to positive outcomes.