Occupational Therapy in Oncology
- Kerstin Kment
- Oct 14, 2024
- 5 min read
"Actually, oncology is a mixture of all areas of occupational therapy"
Oncology is a field of work that does not seem to be widespread in occupational therapy in Austria and Germany. However, around 400,000 people in Austria are currently living with a diagnosis of cancer [1]. The chances of survival for patients are getting better and better thanks to modern therapies. However, many of the patients have to live with the side effects of the treatments. From an occupational therapy perspective, there are many starting points in the areas of person, occupation and environment. In issue 09/24, for example, Sabina Heizmann writes in the magazine Ergopraxis about chemotherapy-induced polyneuropathy. In it, patients describe difficulties in plucking their eyebrows, closing small buttons, the feeling of "pins and needles", numbness, and much more. [2].
Cognitive deficits are also a common side effect of chemotherapy. Cognitive training can also be indicated in neuro-oncological events. Shortly before the release of COGNIBRI, our software that can support therapists in cognitive rehabilitation, we asked ourselves how we can support this field of work and want to help reduce any fear of this field of work.
What is it like to work as an occupational therapist in oncology rehabilitation?
We were able to conduct an interview with Andrea Hofer, who has been working in oncological rehabilitation, freelances in the oncology field and now also gives lectures to occupational therapy students at the FH Campus Vienna and the IMC Krems. She has thus maintained her professional focus since the beginning of her occupational therapy career. For several years now, she has also been sharing her knowledge in her advanced training at Ergotherapie Austria. We are pleased that she took the time for this interview.
Thank you for taking the time to tell us about your field of work. How did you get into oncology?
I stumbled into it completely. It was just a coincidence and I didn't really know what to expect at first. I hardly learned anything about oncology during my training, so it was really new territory at first.
What would you have needed back then when you started in oncology?
Knowing that it's actually a mixture of all the different disciplines and that we already have a lot of experience from our training. That would have helped me to overcome my initial fear. And really, you just have to have the courage to do it.
You also offer training on this topic through the Austrian professional association - is this also a topic in the training?
Yes, exactly. We clarify the basics that are important for oncology, discuss which medical therapies are used locally - chemotherapy, radiotherapy, etc. We explain roughly how they work and very precisely what side effects can occur. And if you know the side effects, then you can actually also deduce which measures you can take.
What are the most common disorders that you encounter in your daily work?
It depends a lot on the type of treatment, but the most common are sensory disturbances, cognitive impairments, disturbed scars, fatigue or psychological symptoms. Joint problems and restricted mobility, which can occur all over the body, are also very common. For many patients, the topic of sexuality is also very present.
What makes oncology a special field of work in your opinion?
With patients, you can usually achieve a lot with very little. Often a few minutes of explanation is enough for the patient to have a completely new perspective on the side effect and feel totally relieved. And very often you can do something to reduce the side effect, or in the best case, even make it disappear completely. And you feel immense gratitude because you have been able to give the patient back some of their quality of life. Patients usually come to oncology rehabilitation about a year after their last treatment, but also in chronic stages, patients in remission and those who are considered medically cured.
Digitalization in the healthcare sector is currently on everyone’s lips – what is the status in oncology?
I can very well imagine that teletherapeutic applications are a good fit here. Especially because a hands-on approach is not always necessary or, for example, for follow-up checks. In my opinion, it is also quite possible in the cognitive area or in the application of the home exercise program. And as far as apps are concerned, patients always ask about exercise programs - I believe that there is great potential here to support patients. There have already been some attempts to use technical aids, but often in the wrong area. For example, since this year there have been ready-made video lectures on individual topics on tablets, which are mandatory for patients. These were spoken by an AI voice, but for some people they are so slow and monotonous that patients put them down after a short time.
What does the field need, in your opinion?
Definitely more awareness - many cancer patients don't even know that we exist, and there is definitely a need for us. A higher referral rate from doctors is also required. Unfortunately, in hospitals, too little information about us is passed on due to a lack of time and patients are often then informed that they have to live with certain symptoms that are actually treatable. Unfortunately, patients also have to deal with financial hurdles - and the lack of health insurance places. It is usually a long treatment path with long-term sick leave, often with emergency assistance and often there is a lack of financial means to be able to afford therapies, for example.
For occupational therapists who are interested in oncology as a field of work - what would you like to tell them?
Just have courage. It is a diverse field of work that offers many opportunities. There are also courses that I can recommend: For example, the "Ordensklinikum Linz" offers the so-called "Cancer Academy" for health professionals. And from this year on, I am also able to teach students at the university of applied sciences about the field of work. One does not have to be afraid. The patients are usually very positive about life, and I really enjoy treating most of them. It is an exciting, wide-ranging field.
Your training takes place through the Austrian Occupational Therapy Association - when is the next date?
The next date is September 13, 2024.
All further information on the training course "Oncology in Occupational Therapy - Basics for working with oncology patients" can be found here.
About Andrea Hofer:
2015 - 2018 Study of Occupational Therapy, FH Joanneum Bad Gleichenberg
since 2018 occupational therapist at the oncological rehabilitation clinic "Der Sonnberghof" in Bad Sauerbrunn, Burgenland
since 2019 lecture at the AHOP Congress "Chemotherapy-induced polyneuropathy"
since 2021 Webinar "Occupational Therapy in Oncology" at FBZ Klagenfurt
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