The Person-Environment-Occupation Model is used in this document because of its emphasis on the transactional relationship between person, environment, and occupation to facilitate occupational performance. Other ecological models, with the exception of the Ecology of Human Performance (EHP) model, do not highlight the transactive relationship; the EHP visual is less elegant and more complex to explain to non-OT practitioners.

Overall, the PEO is included for these reasons:

• Transactive ecological model with an easily understood visual component.

• Utilizes key elements of the OT domain as detailed in the OTPF-4.

• PEO is useful across practice settings; it has proven utility in medical model based (Maclean et al., 2012)

• The PEO provides a quick method for organizing and communicating clinical reasoning (Strong et al. 1999).

• Interfaces well with knowledge from within and outside of occupational therapy and occupational science.

• Biopsychosocial model that uses a top-down approach to a focus on subjective and objective client reports regarding occupational performance.

• The emphasis on subjective client reports makes the PEO especially useful when psychosocial challenges contribute to occupational performance.

• The PEOs transactive understanding of occupational performance, provides a foundation for integrating psychosocial interventions to support overall occupational performance (Ikiugu, 2010).

• Quick and simple to use and explain

  • Useful with individuals, groups, and population clients. (Broome et al., 2009)

  • Useful in conversations with stakeholders, such as payors, administrators, clients and their families, and non-OT colleagues (Strong et al., 1999).

  • Advocacy tool for explaining the unique perspective and contributions of OT.