Enhanced occupational therapy for children with brain tumours
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A feasibility study of enhanced occupational therapy interventions for children and adolescents with central nervous system tumours in the first two years from diagnosis
IRAS ID
124159
Contact name
Tony Long
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Research summary
Approximately 350 children and adolescents each year in the UK are diagnosed with a brain tumour. Many of these face challenges at all stages of follow up in their return to school, in friendships, gaining educational qualifications and future employment. These factors contribute to low scores for health-related quality of life, health status and psychological functioning. Occupational Therapy (OT) is a rehabilitation profession that uses treatment strategies to ensure that children and young persons with health problems engage in everyday activities such as self-care, self-esteem, life skills, play, leisure and education. However, there are no standardised ways of achieving this and there is marked variability in OT resource in the community.
This project is designed to apply the skills of the OT to help children with brain tumours in the first two years following diagnosis when treatments with surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy are completed and longer term follow up begins. By providing this OT help in hospital, home and school in a way that is acceptable to
patients, we will also offer a much-enhanced level of care.The proposed project will find out if it is feasible to perform all of these assessments, interventions and evaluations of outcomes in this patient population and if this approach can be harmonised to be comparable between the two treatment centres. To do this we will consult with the health professionals involved, patients and their families, and we will work from the outset with scientists who are expert in working with information from medical records and consultations using a technique termed process mapping.
The study will provide the essential first step towards the establishment of an evidence-base for OT interventions in this clinical setting and allow us subsequently to seek funding to perform an appropriate study to measure effectiveness and health economic implications
REC name
North West - Preston Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/NW/0800
Date of REC Opinion
30 Dec 2013
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion