What can be learnt from occupational therapists practising in the Netherlands who address sports in practice? A qualitative study

Purpose This study aims to explore experiences of occupational therapists (OTs) practising in the Netherlands who use sports participation as an intervention or goal. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study adopted a critical realist methodology, using semi-structured interviews and inductive and deductive thematic analysis to explore six OTs’ experiences. Findings Three main themes were identified: the role of occupational therapy in sports, the meaning and definition of sports and reasons for prioritising sports in occupational therapy. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first known published research to explore the experiences of OTs practising in the Netherlands who address sports participation and explanatory factors for why sports is prioritised or not. It poses important questions about the ways and extent to which sport as an occupation is consistently considered in occupational therapy.