Occupational therapy, cancer, and occupation-centred practice: impact of training in the model of human occupation.

Abstract

This study examined the influence of training in an occupation-centred model on the practice of occupational therapists working in a cancer hospital. There is an increased need for occupation-based rehabilitation services for individuals with and surviving cancer. Incorporating an occupation-centred model into practice has unique challenges for occupational therapists working in oncology settings. Utilizing an occupation-centred model of practice may influence the therapeutic reasoning of occupational therapists. A generic qualitative inquiry (Patton, 2015) was used to examine therapeutic reasoning as related to post-professional training in a specific occupation-centred model, the Model of Human Occupation (MOHO). Initially, ten occupational therapists with various levels of experience, working across populations in a large cancer centre completed a training session about the MOHO. This was followed by participation in monthly focus groups with an emphasis on the use of MOHO in daily practice (Taylor, 2017). Focus group sessions were video recorded and transcribed. The transcripts were then analysed using open coding and theme generation (Patton, 2015). Three major themes were extracted from the data during the thematic analysis: understanding and using MOHO language; challenges in incorporating a conceptual model of occupation-centred practice in an oncology setting; and therapeutic reasoning implications. Patterns in the themes indicated a progression from learning the model, to applying the model, to reflection on practice. Post-professional training in an occupation-based model influenced the therapeutic reasoning and practice of occupational therapists in an oncology setting.