Occupational therapy in Iran: Past, present, and future

Although occupational therapy recently reached the centenary year of its establishment in the United States, it is a relatively new profession across the world. Iran has experienced 45 years of a fluctuating history in occupational therapy within a political context of revolutionary upheaval and war. In line with practice elsewhere, occupational therapists in Iran have emphasized occupational therapy paradigms and the importance of a client-centered approach since the profession began. However, unique conditions in Iran have influenced the evolution of occupational therapy. This article reviews the history of occupational therapy in Iran and discusses the major events that affected its development. We describe the historical context of the development of occupational therapy in Iran; the current context and recent achievements, including evidence-based practice; and the future need for increased capacity, validation of tools for clinical practice, and expansion of research areas. This article provides a narrative review of the development of occupational therapy in an Eastern country. Consideration of the growth of occupational therapy in Iran from an analytical point of view would be worthwhile.

Other research has been conducted in the area of occupational science, such as the concept of occupation and occupational balance (Khayatzadeh Mahani, Hassani Mehraban, Kamali, & Parvizy, 2015; Yazdani, Harb, Rassafiani, Nobakht, & Yazdani, 2017; Yazdani, Roberts …