Efficacy of Occupational Therapy Interventions for Women Experiencing Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review

As the most prevalent type of cancer among women, breast cancer affects over two million women annually. This study was a systematic review of the literature which examined the impact of occupational therapy interventions on the health and well-being of women diagnosed with breast cancer. The review question was: What is the evidence for the effectiveness of health promotion interventions in addressing occupational participation and well-being for individuals undergoing rehabilitation for breast cancer? The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) was utilized to guide this study. Included studies were accessed through identified databases, were published between 2015-2020, and included an occupational therapist as the study interventionist. Fourteen articles met these criteria and were included in this review. We categorized the studies into themes based on the type of intervention provided. There is strong evidence for the promotion of quality of life following intervention which included exercise and health promotion education. Moderate evidence supports exercise-based interventions without a health education component as well as interventions which are occupation-based and focus on health management. Occupational therapists can play a critical role in promoting the health of women with breast cancer. Occupational therapists should routinely incorporate these interventions when providing interventions for women undergoing rehabilitation for breast cancer. Additional research which provides outcomes of interventions with this population is necessary to expand the literature on this topic in order to offer additional practice recommendations