Background: Occupational therapy (OT) and physiotherapy (PT) are critical to optimising the functional performance of people with advanced cancer and facilitating discharge home for end-of-life care. A new palliative care unit opened in September 2020 in a specialist cancer hospital in Australia with dedicated OT and PT services. The nature of OT and PT interventions delivered in cancer-specific palliative care units are under-reported and warranted evaluation.
Aims: To describe (1) the frequency and duration of OT and PT interventions; and (2) the functional characteristics and discharge destination of participants who received these interventions.
Method: A retrospective audit of all patients admitted to the palliative care unit (PCU) and referred to OT and/or PT from January 1st to June 30th 2021.
Results: Seventy percent of patients (n=130) admitted to the PCU received OT and/or PT interventions. The median (IQR) number of contacts each participant received was 3.00 (1.00, 8.00) for OT and 2.50 (1.00, 5.00) for PT. The median (IQR) duration (minutes) of each contact was 110.00 (30.00, 256.00) for OT and 69.00 (33.75, 140.00) for PT. Participants typically had high care needs with a median (IQR) AKPS of 50 (40, 60) and a median (IQR) RUG-ADL of 8 (4, 12.50) on admission to the palliative care unit. Seventy-six percent of participants seen by OT and PT died in the palliative care unit, while 21% were discharged home.
Conclusion: The majority of participants received OT and PT as part of their admission to the PCU. This included participants who remained in the unit for end-of-life care as well as participants who discharged home. This highlights that OT and PT have a role that extends across assessment and discharge planning. Future research is needed to unpack the types of interventions provided and the impact on patient, carer and service outcomes.