Determining Occupational Performance Issues in Women with Breast Cancer Referred to Treatment Centers of Hamadan, Iran

Abstract

Objective: Women with breast cancer experience functional limitations at the time of diagnosis and after the initial<br />treatment of cancer. Such limitations interfere with participation in self-care, work affairs, and leisure activities. The<br />present study aimed to determine occupational performance priorities in women with breast cancer who had referred<br />to treatment centers in Hamadan, Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical study, 102 women<br />with breast cancer who had referred to treatment centers in Hamadan were selected through convenience sampling.<br />The participants' information was gathered using their medical records and a demographic information questionnaire.<br />Then, they were interviewed using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) to determine their<br />occupational performance issues. The gathered data were coded and analyzed using the SPSS statistical software,<br />version 16. Results: The results indicated that out of the 22 defined codes for the patients' selected activities, 45.8%,<br />30.8%, and 23.4% belonged to self-care, productivity, and leisure domains, respectively. Conclusion: Women with<br />breast cancer experience various occupational performance issues due to disease complications and received treatments.<br />In the present study, self-care comprised the occupational performance priority. Determining the clients' intervention<br />priorities, which is among the bases of occupational therapy interventions, can help women with breast cancer reach<br />the desired quality of life.