Article Text
Abstract
Background The first and unique occupational therapy service in Oncology in Lebanon has started in 2010 at the Rafic Harriri University Hospital. This service was the only psycho-social support provided for cancer patients at this hospital. Thus, many challenges were faced by the team working due to the novelty of this field and the lack of funding. Nevertheless, this service has succeeded in improving the quality of life of those patients and their families.
Aim The presentation is going to highlight the challenges faced and the approaches used in order to put patients' words into action in individualised therapeutic plans.
Methods The presentation will be addressing the main features of the service provided and highlighting how patients' words were used to develop therapeutic plans to help in improving the psychological state of cancer patients. Practical examples and case studies will be provided.
Results The presentation will show qualitative results of the impact of occupational therapy approaches used on the quality of life of cancer patients and their families.
Discussion The presentation will discuss the importance of individualised therapeutic plan which were based on patients' needs and expectations. Moreover the unique effect of these plans will be highlighted due to the satisfaction attained by the patients regarding the quality of care given.
Conclusion The presentation will pose the following question: if the care planning is based on the needs voiced by patients' words, how can we effectively listen to cancer patients? And, How can we use this technique to improve the quality of care planning?