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Palliative Medicine, Vol. 21, No. 6, 477-485 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0269216307081941

How can occupational therapists measure outcomes in palliative care?

Elizabeth JM Pearson

Occupational Therapy Department, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Victoria, Elizabeth.Pearson{at}petermac.org

Julia G Todd

Acute Oncology/Haematology Department, Austin Health, Victoria

Jennifer M Futcher

Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Victoria

The objective of this paper is to identify an outcome measure for occupational therapy interventions with palliative clients, in particular Home Assessments. Several possibilities beyond traditional functional measures are considered, and the notion of quality of life (QoL) as a potential measure and routine part of assessment is discussed.

A systematic literature search resulted in 45 QoL tools that might be suitable for palliative care. The validation or development papers for these tools were closely examined. Twenty-four instruments met the inclusion criteria for further consideration for use by occupational therapists.

The research found that it may be feasible for occupational therapists to use a QoL tool as a routine part of assessing each palliative patient, with the objective of focusing interventions to priority areas identified by the patient. Further work in this area will identify a range of established and validated methods of assessing QoL, suitable for different stages within the palliative phase of illness for purposes including assessment, support and targeted interventions. Palliative Medicine 2007; 21: 477—485

Key Words: home assessment • occupational therapy • outcome assessment • palliative care • quality of life


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