Marc Sampedro Pilegaard1,2,3, Karen la Cour2, Åse Brandt1, Mario Lozano-Lozano4,5,6, Lisa Gregersen Oestergaard1,7,8. 1. The Research Initiative of Activity Studies and Occupational Therapy, Research Unit of General Practice, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense C, Denmark. 2. REHPA, the Danish Knowledge Centre for Rehabilitation and Palliative Care, Odense University Hospital, Nyborg, Denmark. 3. Odense Patient Data Explorative Network, Odense University Hospital, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark. 4. The Department of Physical Therapy, University of Granada, Granada, Spain. 5. The "Cuídate", Support Unit for Oncology Patients (UAPO), Granada, Spain. 6. Department of Physical and Occupational Therapy, The Sport and Health Joint University Institute (IMUDS), Granada, Spain. 7. Department of Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus C, Denmark. 8. Centre of Research in Rehabilitation (CORIR), Aarhus University Hospital and Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
Abstract
Background: Pain, fatigue and dyspnoea are symptoms commonly experienced by people with advanced cancer, which may impact on their occupational performance. It is not known whether these symptoms impact their occupational performance over time.Objective: To examine correlation between pain, fatigue and dyspnoea and occupational performance and the impact of such symptoms on occupational performance over time in people with advanced cancer.Material and Methods: A longitudinal study was conducted including 242 participants assessed at baseline and after six and 12 weeks. Spearman's rank-order test and mixed linear models were performed. Results: The correlation between pain, fatigue and dyspnoea and occupational performance at baseline spanned from trivial to moderate (Spearman's rho: -0.004 to 0.34). Only pain had a statistically significant impact on activities of daily living (ADL) motor ability over time (p = 0.01). Participants with no pain problems had the largest decrease in ADL motor ability (-0.24 logits (95%-CI: -0.37 to -0.12)), but the observed decrease was not clinically relevant (≥-0.30). Conclusion: Pain, fatigue and dyspnoea did not seem to highly correlate with occupational performance or impact occupational performance over time of people with advanced cancer.
Background: Pain, fatigue and dyspnoea are symptoms commonly experienced by people with advanced cancer, which may impact on their occupational performance. It is not known whether these symptoms impact their occupational performance over time.Objective: To examine correlation between pain, fatigue and dyspnoea and occupational performance and the impact of such symptoms on occupational performance over time in people with advanced cancer.Material and Methods: A longitudinal study was conducted including 242 participants assessed at baseline and after six and 12 weeks. Spearman's rank-order test and mixed linear models were performed. Results: The correlation between pain, fatigue and dyspnoea and occupational performance at baseline spanned from trivial to moderate (Spearman's rho: -0.004 to 0.34). Only pain had a statistically significant impact on activities of daily living (ADL) motor ability over time (p = 0.01). Participants with no pain problems had the largest decrease in ADL motor ability (-0.24 logits (95%-CI: -0.37 to -0.12)), but the observed decrease was not clinically relevant (≥-0.30). Conclusion:Pain, fatigue and dyspnoea did not seem to highly correlate with occupational performance or impact occupational performance over time of people with advanced cancer.