《Chinese Journal of Rehabilitation Theory and Practice》 ›› 2020, Vol. 26 ›› Issue (2): 237-241.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1006-9771.2020.02.018

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Development of Occupational Therapy for Chinese Aging Population: Opportunities and Challenges

JIANG Shan1,2,WANG Ying1,WANG Hui1()   

  1. 1. School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
    2. School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T1Z3, Canada
  • Received:2019-05-07 Revised:2019-06-04 Published:2020-02-25 Online:2020-03-19
  • Contact: WANG Hui E-mail:huiwang@shsmu.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    National Key Technologies R&D Program(2018YFC2000700)

Abstract:

Occupational therapy is at a very early stage of development in China with a severe shortage in care facilities and practitioners, compared to its development in developed contries. However, the aging population and the establishment of a hierarchical medical care system in China provide a great opportunity for the development of occupational therapy. To seize the opportunity, we recommend the application of behavioral economic experiments, such as discrete choice experiment, to measure the desirability and willingness-to-pay for occupational therapy among the Chinese elderly. The evidence derived from these experiments would warrant a relatively precise estimation of the demand for occupational therapy by the Chinese elderly and the potential scale of occupational therapy services.

Key words: occupational therapy, rehabilitation medicine, China

CLC Number: