Occupational therapy training on palliative and end-of-life care: Scoping review

Abstract

Introduction While occupational therapists promote quality of life enabling occupation, many receive little to no training on palliative and end-of-life care. This study synthesizes relevant literature to find out what is known about training for them on this matter. Methods A scoping review using Arksey and O’Malley’s five-stage framework exploring literature on palliative and end-of-life care training in occupational therapy (French or English; undergraduate or graduate). The first author screened the titles, abstracts, and keywords and selected literature to be read by the teams to extract and include relevant knowledge. Corroborated thematic analysis synthesized the findings. Result Out of the 384 publications initially identified, 25 were included in the review. To be trained in palliative and end-of-life care, occupational therapists have to (a) be exposed to knowledge on specific (b) topics required for competent practice using (c) educational strategies supporting learning about palliative and end-of-life care. Conclusion Whereas introductory-level knowledge of palliative and end-of-life care should be offered to all students, advanced training should allow occupational therapists to master the philosophy of this type of care, deepen the understanding of topics such as being confronted with death, and empower them to advocate for their unique contribution.