Pain Rounds - Julie Masse erg, OT(c), MSc "Occupational Therapy’s Unique Contribution to Chronic Pain Management: A Scoping Review"

Julie Masse erg, OT(c), MSc "Occupational Therapy’s Unique Contribution to Chronic Pain Management: A Scoping Review"

Abstract

According to the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), a third of people suffering from chronic pain are unable or less able to maintain an independent and meaningful lifestyle due to their pain. Occupational therapy (OT) is the art and science of enabling people to perform any activity that they do to occupy themselves and brings meaning to their lives. Although OT has been around for over a century, this health profession still faces some challenges in deploying its contribution in chronic pain management.

The purpose of a recent scoping review was to provide an overview of the current state of knowledge about OT for chronic pain management in adults. Julie Masse, one of the co-authors, will present the results of this review regarding the roles, models, assessments and interventions methods that can be used by occupational therapists (OTs).

It is increasingly well known that engaging in occupation has the potential to mediate pain perception and to alter biological, psychological, and social factors that are known to influence pain experience. This scoping review illustrates how OTs can make a unique contribution to pain management programs through their holistic approach and their overarching focus on occupational challenges which are often related to living with CP, day after day.