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Interprofessional practice is commonly discussed in the literature in terms of competencies. In this study we move away from the theoretical notions of criteria, concepts and guidelines to adopt an ontological approach which seeks to stay as close to the lived experience as possible. Our research asked 12 participants from a variety of health disciplines to tell their stories of working interprofessionally. We sought to glean meaning from the lived experience. Our phenomenological hermeneutic approach and interpretation were informed by Heidegger and Gadamer. Rather than offering a thematic overview, in this article we share three stories from the research that were congruent with other stories. The first, told by a doctor, is of a resuscitation in an emergency department. It shows how the effective working together of the interprofessional team was more than each member following a resuscitation protocol. There was 'something' about how they worked together that made this story stand out, even though the patient died. The second story showcases how 'who' the person is makes a difference. This nurse makes an effort to get to know other staff as people, to find common interests. In such a way interprofessional practice comes to flourish. The third story shows how a physiotherapist and a psychologist joined in conversation to seek innovative possibilities for a challenging situation. In such a way each built on the others expertise and were excited at the success they achieved for the patient. From these ontological accounts we have come to see that interprofessional practice flourishes when practitioners are their authentic, caring selves. Who the person is matters.

As of March 2017, 30,490 North Korean refugees resided in South Korea, with numbers growing each year. There is growing concern that feelings of alienation and isolation seem to be key features of their lives. Using an occupational perspective, this study aimed to explore how they participate in South Korean society. Grounded theory methodology guided data-gathering, through 10 semi-structured interviews conducted in South Korea, and data analysis.Findings were that despite ethnic homogeneity, participants experienced challenges associated with their North Korean identity, which affect their educational experiences and social mobility. To avoid stigma, participants learn to behave like South Koreans, which provides a pathway to social integration and access to proving their usefulness for the reunification of North and South Korea. This study provides an evidence of the deep impact of societal factors on their resettlement, and suggests a possible role of South Korean educators in promoting multicultural education.

This international research collaborative undertook what became a decade long process to look at meanings of celebratory food related occupations of elder women across three cultures in New Zealand, Thailand and the United States. Cross-cultural research comes with inherent ethical issues related to cultural lenses, use of instruments and potential biases of investigators. The many views of what cross cultural research is and how it might be done and the very general ethical codes from professional institutions provided guidance for protections of participants, however, gave little direction regarding ethical interaction amongst researchers. The team was committed to open, interpretive and unbiased engagement with each other, study participants and data. Critical engagement supported this, including the development of methodology to assure trustworthiness of data interpretation and creation of in person and virtual communication strategies to give all cultures voice. We found ways to negotiate language barriers and collaborated to deal with inequity in resources. We consciously addressed issues of equitable distribution of labor and authorship. We educated each other about our cultures by design and circumstance. Our satisfaction with the research process and outcomes is directly related to our adherence to its basic integrity.

Background: Family communication about pain is an important therapeutic target when a parent lives with chronic pain. Occupational therapy literature about communication in families affected by parental chronic pain is currently lacking. Aims/Objectives: To bring an occupational perspective to communication within families affected by parental chronic pain, to generate insights for practice. Materials and Methods: Five families (total n=19 family members) were recruited into this collective case study. The gathered data included interviews, observations, and personal documents/artefacts. A cross-case analysis of similarities and differences between families was conducted to distil insights about the relationship between occupation and communication about parental pain. Results: Each family develops its own style of communicating about a parent's pain. On a day-to-day basis, pain-related communication is prompted by experienced, observed and/or anticipated occupational disruption brought about by parental pain. Conclusions: Occupational disruption and occupational responses need to be components of interest, when designing assessments and interventions targeted at communication in families affected by parental chronic pain. Significance: The findings from this study point to the importance of communication through occupation in families affected by parental chronic pain and suggest novel targets for occupational therapy intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]