Identifying Facilitators of and Barriers to Referrals to Occupational Therapy Services by Israeli Cancer Health Care Professionals: A Qualitative Study

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Barriers to referrals included gaps in participants' knowledge that link side effects to functional difficulties indicating a need for referral to occupational therapy. Participants' suggestions to bolster referrals can be implemented by occupational therapists to reduce patients' unmet needs and bridge existing gaps in cancer care. Plain-Language Summary: This research helped to identify barriers and facilitators regarding insufficient knowledge about occupational therapy's role in cancer care and adds a better understanding of gaps in referrals to occupational therapy. In addition, cancer health care professionals who participated in the study suggested practical solutions for reducing barriers and maximizing support for referral. With these nuances, occupational therapy practitioners can work with medical cancer care units (i.e., acute care hospitals, medical cancer centers, and community health care clinics) to target the use of strategies that work for their units to ensure that persons living with and beyond cancer receive needed occupational therapy services.PMID:38224354 | DOI:10.5014/ajot.2024.050414
Source: The American Journal of Occupational Therapy - Category: Occupational Health Authors: Source Type: research