The perception of people’s occupations under palliative oncology care in view of Wilcock's dimensions of being and doing

Abstract

Introduction: Ann Allart Wilcock, focusing on the occupational science, idealized the dimensions of being, doing, becoming and belonging, relating health, well-being, and occupation. In her academic and professional journey, she sought to present the interdependence of the dimensions with the person and community. When a person suffers a partial or total break in their occupations, they may suffer biopsychosocial, spiritual and occupational repercussions. Cancer is still seen as a diagnosis related to death, however, given early identification, treatments, and advances in research, it is possible to promote well-being and quality of life. Among the treatments, palliative care has as one of the principles to guarantee completeness in care, control and management of symptoms, multidisciplinary monitoring of the person, their family, caregivers, and community, from diagnosis to the post-death mourning process. Objective: To understand the perceptions of occupations of people in oncological palliative care, from Wilcock's perspective. Method: Qualitative research, with an action-research procedure. Seven semi-structured interviews were carried out from July to August 2022, in palliative care clinics. Results: The findings were presented in the categories of being and doing, presenting the perceptions and occupational relationships of the person with themselves and their surroundings. Conclusion: The relationships between being and doing in everyday life and how occupational therapists can identify impaired occupations through the dimensions and provide support to the hospitalized person. The aim is to stimulate new knowledge in academic and professional communities based on the object of study in occupation and the contexts of occupational therapists in the national scenario, as well as ensuring evidence-based practice.