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Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapy



Occupational therapy (OT) can play an important role in enabling children with cancer to participate in the everyday childhood occupations of self-care (e.g. dressing, grooming, feeding, toileting), productivity (e.g. kindergarten/ school tasks, routines) and play/ leisure (e.g. quality of life, social interactions). There is no routine OT service for children with cancer attending as outpatients at the RCH and Monash Children’s.

In order to quantify the needs and to establish the role for an OT within the paediatric cancer setting, PICS has developed a proposal for a pilot occupational therapy program. The pilot program has been the work of a collaboration between service providers across the RCH and Monash Children’s Cancer Centres and has been built on current evidence, local and international expertise.

The report outlines the project purpose and approach in the service context of current PICS services. It provides a brief overview of the evidence supporting the use of occupational therapy services for children with cancer, current occupational therapy services across the three PICS services, information about international and national models and service developments in this area.

The key questions guiding the project were as follows:
  • What is the role and benefit of occupational therapy for children and adolescents with cancer and their families?
  • Which children and adolescents need occupational therapy support and how do they currently access services?
  • What are the current services and resources?
  • What factors are influencing current practice?
  • What are the elements of a best practice model?

For an overview of this report click here to access the Report.



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