The Bluebirds: World war I soldiers' experiences of occupational therapy

Katie Robinson, Judith Pettigrew, Stephanie Moloney

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

OBJECTIVE. More is known about the experience of occupational therapists than the experience of patients during the profession's early years. We examined soldiers' experiences of occupational therapy in American Base Hospital 9 in France during World War I through analysis of a 53-line poem by Corporal Frank Wren contained in the unpublished memoir of occupational therapy reconstruction aide Lena Hitchcock. METHOD. Historical documentary research methods and thematic analysis were used to analyze the poem, the memoir, and the hospital's published history. RESULTS. The poem describes the activities engaged in during occupational therapy, equipment used, and the context of therapy. It articulates positive dimensions of the experience of engaging in activities, including emotional benefits, diversion, and orthopedic benefits. CONCLUSION. Previous historical research has identified core philosophical premises about the use of occupational therapy; in this article, the enactment of these principles is established through the analysis of a soldier's account of receiving occupational therapy.

Original languageEnglish (Ireland)
Article number7101100010
Pages (from-to)-
JournalAmerican Journal of Occupational Therapy
Volume71
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2017

Keywords

  • History, 20th Century
  • Hospitals, Military/history
  • Humans
  • Military Personnel/history
  • Narration
  • Occupational Therapy/history
  • Poetry as Topic
  • World War I

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The Bluebirds: World war I soldiers' experiences of occupational therapy'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this