Understanding the occupational impact of waiting using occupational science concepts

Waiting is part of the collective experience as occupational beings. It has been studied in fields of psychology and patient experience, but not yet explored within occupational science. We consider the strengths and limitations of considering waiting as an occupation in itself or as a form of occupational disruption. While people wait in almost every aspect of their daily lives, this paper focuses predominantly on waiting in the context of healthcare services. While recognising the wider impact of waiting in other aspects of life, this focus was chosen in response to media coverage of waiting times following the COVID-19 pandemic. In light of this exploration, we call for more occupationally focused research into the phenomenon of waiting, which can lead to fuller assessments of the impact of waiting for patients and development of occupationally focussed interventions to support 'waiting well'.