Date of Award

2024

Document Type

Scholarly Project

Degree Name

Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD)

Department

Occupational Therapy

First Advisor

Jessa Hulteng

Abstract

Purpose: More than 18 million people currently living in the United States have received a cancer diagnosis sometime throughout their lives. Advancements in treatment for cancer are increasing the livelihood of those surviving cancer, but there are lasting challenges. More than 40% of individuals within the cancer continuum continue to experience performance challenges with their daily tasks. Occupational therapy can target these challenges, but this profession is underutilized within cancer care. The purpose of this project was to increase awareness of occupational therapy’s role in cancer care, educate providers, and create a resource to address the needs of the cancer population to improve performance in daily tasks.

Methodology: The ecology of human performance (EHP) model was utilized to guide the evaluation of literature and create resources for this project. An extensive literature review was completed. Prior to completing a needs assessment, Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval was obtained. After completing the needs assessment utilizing on-site collaboration and a provider survey, it was determined that a screening tool and patient education were needed. The Occupational Therapy-Based Oncology Toolkit (OT-BOT) resource was created based on the literature review and needs assessment.

Results: The OT-BOT was created in response to limited occupational therapy referrals and limited education for patients to address challenges they experienced in daily tasks. The Task Performance Cancer Screening Tool (TPCST) screening tool, informational resources for patients, and education about the role of occupational therapy within cancer care were resources included within the OT-BOT. The use of the OT-BOT was disseminated to the cancer center's viii providers and implemented into patient care. A limitation of this project was that it was limited to a small cancer center facility.

Conclusion: The OT-BOT was created to promote the cancer population's performance in daily tasks by implementing an occupational therapy provider screening tool and patient educational resources. The created resources addressed information to address the daily challenges cancer patients experience and to raise awareness for the role occupational therapy can play in cancer care. Any future use of the OT-BOT in other locations will need to be evaluated to determine an appropriate fit between the needs of the site and the education within the resources.

Download

Share

COinS