Investigating the Role of Occupational Therapy in Palliative Care: A Literature Review.

Occupational therapy's (OT) scope of practice aligns with the services provided for clients receiving palliative care (PC). Despite this, other home healthcare professions do not well understand OT interventions or their efficacy. As such, it is essential to review existing literature to define the roles and functions of OT in PC and to better clarify their role in the home healthcare multidisciplinary team. The objective of this review was to define the themes of effective OT within PC and identify how OT may benefit clients with serious illness using an extensive review of the literature. To explore this question, databases including PubMed, the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE Ultimate, Consumer Health Complete, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect were searched. Thirty studies met the criteria addressing OT in PC and were analyzed for common themes. Three themes regarding the provision of OT services to PC patients were identified: engaging in meaningful activities to increase quality of life (QOL), symptom management and comfort, and supporting caregivers and client environments. OT can play a pivotal role in catering to PC clients' needs by promoting occupational engagement, alleviating symptoms, and modifying environments. This review offers recommendations for OT service provision in palliative care, clarifying the profession's role within multidisciplinary home healthcare teams.