Abstract
The burden of cancer taking a form of a chronic illness warrants a shift in the health care delivery to address the many neglected functional impacts (physical-psychosocial and occupational dysfunctions) from cancer. Balancing the current traditional medical care (that focuses on the tumour/illness), with the essential non-medical tasks of dayto- day participation and self-care tasks are both needed for cancer conditions that now requires care over indefinite period. This paper aims to highlight occupational-participation as an expansion of the international classification of functioning (ICF)’s concept of participation, to encapsulate a holistic approach for better functional outcomes and occupational wellbeing in the emerging field of cancer survivorship. Occupational-participation, a central construct in the field of Occupational Therapy, is the person’s engagement in work, play and daily living which is necessary for health and well-being. Cancer survivors can be empowered toward healthy occupational-participation to attain a healthy, ‘health-after-cancer’ status via a model of ‘occupationalparticipation for cancer survivorship’ (MOP.CS). The model is novel for addressing this missing link where its focus on occupational-participation living, can be used for designing seamless intervention programs for the connection to a “healthy-although-ill” living for cancer survivors.
Highlights
In recent year, mortality rate from cancer have declined between 20-26% [1] with improved survival rates which vary between 40 and 80 percent in low and high income countries respectively
Some cancer are increasingly being acknowledged as taking a form of chronic illness, requiring a care approach that extends beyond mere medical care into wider daily aspects of psychosocial-emotional and occupational functioning or participation for an indefinite period of time
Occupational-participation is used as an expanded and specified concept of participation in the international classification of functioning (ICF), to encapsulate a holistic approach for cancer survivorship care for the individual, as they attempt to readjust from a period of living with illness, into another indefinite stage of livinga-healthy--ill life
Summary
Mortality rate from cancer have declined between 20-26% [1] with improved survival rates which vary between 40 and 80 percent in low and high income countries respectively. Permanent and leaves residual disability; ii) caused by non-reversible pathological alternation; iii) requires special training of the patient for rehabilitation, or may be expected to require a long period of supervision, observation, or care” [4] Based on these features, some cancer are increasingly being acknowledged as taking a form of chronic illness (a term used interchangeably with long-term conditions), requiring a care approach that extends beyond mere medical care into wider daily aspects of psychosocial-emotional and occupational functioning or participation for an indefinite period of time. Patients’ self-management skills are often neglected, within the medical model of care [11] These gaps need to be addressed as many cancers adopt a chronic condition status.
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