Occupational therapists' critical value in work rehabilitation and ergonomics.

Work Rehabilitation and Ergonomics, proactive and reactive, are practices that touch the lives of most employees and employers. Effective, evidence-based services are essential to successful outcomes. With the average age of most workforces now in the mid 40’s, the complications of personal medical conditions affect worker production quality, quantity and job satisfaction. The aging of the “baby boom” generation and the anticipated effects on medical costs and work practices is of great interest to employees, employers, and the professional community including those who provide services in rehabilitation and ergonomics. While many professional disciplines provide services in those areas, occupational therapists offer a uniquely valuable holistic approach to the clients with whom they work. This paper will offer a review of the expertise of those trained as occupational therapists, the evolution of the profession’s approach to work rehabilitation and ergonomics from WWI to the present, and will offer insight into the current state of best practices within this focus. To demonstrate this evolving practice, the authors will review the practice of OT work rehabilitation and ergonomics at the University of Michigan from the early 1900s to present day. It is important to first consider how Occupational Therapy has been defined. According to the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), it is