Why are we failing to support such a large percentage of this population? And, what is the best way to support them when they do make it to us for occupational therapy?

Honestly, the results from this randomized control trial we are exploring in this 1-hour episode were not what we hoped to see. The OT/PT provided did not improve functional deficits or maintain functional status for these patients. And, instead of giving a glimpse of how to improve the barriers to receiving OT care, it only seems to drive home the obstacles.

Luckily, this is not the full story.

After we break down the article, we will be joined by the article’s lead author, Mackenzi Pergolotti, PhD, MS, OTR/L, about how this paper changed the course of her career. It spurred her to research further into service delivery models that do open the doors to more patients—and points to the improved outcomes we hope for.

Learning Objectives

You will be able to identify barriers to service delivery in cancer rehab.
You will be able to recognize the foundations to effective cancer rehab, as we now understand them.

Agenda

Intro
Breakdown and analysis of journal article
- Big picture intro to older adults with cancer
- Brief intro to cancer rehab
- What was the purpose of this paper?
- What were the methods?
- What were the results?
- Discussion
- Implications for the future
- Conclusion
- Takeaways for OT practitioners
Discussion on practical implications for OTs (with Mackenzi Pergolotti)
1. Tell us how you first found OT.
2. How did you become interested in cancer research?
3. What stands out to you now when you revisit this research?
4. What have you learned since publishing this paper- that you wish you had known at the time?
5. If you were clinically practicing today, what assessments would you gravitate towards?
6. Based on what you’ve learned since this paper, what do you know see as the foundations of OT treatment in cancer rehab?
7. Per the paper, less than 9-15% of older adults receive referral to OT/PT. How do we need to change our care to improve this number?
8. The article mentioned the possible need for more specific cancer rehab training for OTs—what do you like to see this training entail, and any tips on where OTs can find quality training?
9. If OT were to rally around one thing to improve cancer rehab, what do you think it should be?

Supporting Research

Primary

Older adults with cancer: A randomized controlled trial of occupational and physical therapy

Additional

Contact Hours (CEUs/PDUs)

1 Contact Hour. Released online from Aurora, NE.

This course was designed to meet your continuing education requirements

We designed our courses to meet the requirements for “online” and “independent/self-study” courses. To verify the requirements from your specific state (within the U.S.), check out OT Continuing Education Requirements. If you are outside of the United States and don't see requirements for your specific location on that page, please contact us.

OT Potential courses are presented as live webinars, then released on-demand video and audio via the OT Potential Podcast. Attendance in the live webinar will be indicated on your certificate. Learn more about how our courses help meet live webinar requirements, and OT CEU requirements overall.

We are proud to be an AOTA Approved Provider and to meet the requirements for your NBCOT renewal.

AOTA Approved Provider Badge with Course Details

AOTA Details

AOTA Course ID#: 06908
AOTA CEUs Earned: 0.1
AOTA Delivery Format: Distance Learning-Independent
AOTA Category: OT Service Delivery
AOTA Level: Introductory

NBCOT Details

NBCOT PDUs Earned: 1.25

Instructional Methods, Registration, Special Needs Requests, Cancellation Policy

This course is an independent/self-study course delivered via podcast on one or more of the following platforms: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, & Google Play.

If you need accommodations to take this course, please contact us and we will address your needs on an individual basis.

If we cancel a promoted course, event, live stream, or any other paid CEU offering prior to release, and you subscribe explicitly for said offering, you are eligible for a full refund if you did not complete and earn any other CEU quizzes or certificates during your subscription.

If a live webinar is cancelled that you signed up for, our system will automatically generate an email to you and if possible, we will inform you of the rescheduled date. Our most current webinar schedule will be found here.

Audience / Education Level & Course Completion Requirements

Our target audience is therapy professionals who are looking to learn more about this topic. The educational level is introductory. In order to receive a certificate for this course, you must first participate in the podcast/webinar in its entirety. Then, you will need to take the quiz that will accompany the course and earn 75% or higher. If you pass, a PDF certificate will be made available to you via email and download. Quizzes for live (distance learning–interactive) webinars must be completed within 3 days of completing the webinar.

Disclosures

It is the policy of OT Potential to disclose any financial and non-financial interest the provider or instructor may have in a product or service mentioned during an activity. This is to ensure that the audience is made aware of any bias of the speaker.

OT Potential pays guest speakers an honorarium for their participation, either directly or to an institution of the speaker's choosing at their request. We invite guests whose expertise often comes from practices, programs, or building products in their field. Where a speaker has a financial interest in the subject of a course, we disclose it below so you can weigh it for yourself.

OT Potential's interest in this topic: We have no financial stake in this topic.

Speaker interests: Mackenzi Pergolotti is lead author of the primary journal article explored in this course.

Speakers

Mackenzi Pergolotti

PhD, MS, OTR/L

Dr. Mackenzi Pergolotti is the Senior Director of Research and Clinical Development for ReVital Cancer Rehabilitation, adjunct professor at Colorado State University and at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As an occupational therapist, Dr. Pergolotti worked at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) developing programs aimed to better address the needs of adults and children with cancer. Considering the impact of cancer rehabilitation, she was driven to build the evidence-base and increase access to cancer rehabilitation programs nationwide. Dr. Pergolotti was trained the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she worked collaboratively with researchers from the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, the Gillings School of Global Public Health, in the Department of Health Policy and Management, the Cancer Research Outcomes Group, and the Geriatric Oncology Program at the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center to look at utilization, access to and the quality of cancer rehabilitation. Dr. Pergolotti’s Pre-Doctoral fellowship was supported by a T32 National Research Service Award (NRSA) Institutional Training Grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and her Post-Doctoral fellowships were funded through an R25 Cancer Care Quality Training Program from the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Pergolotti is well published in cancer rehabilitation, with over 60 peer-reviewed manuscripts: Click here to view her Google Scholar. She is also the co-lead of the ACRM, Cancer and Research Networking Group, Research and Outcomes. Dr. Pergolotti leads and oversees the strategy and implementation of research, education and quality for the ReVital Cancer Rehabilitation Program.

Sarah Lyon

OTR/L

Sarah Lyon, OTR/L, is the CEO of OT Potential. Sarah earned her BA from St. Olaf College and her master’s degree in occupational therapy from New York University. Her diverse clinical background spans multiple settings, including critical access, acute trauma, and state inpatient psychiatric hospitals. In 2011, she founded OT Potential to fulfill the industry's need for reliable, high-quality occupational therapy resources and continuing education.

As a recognized content creator, Sarah has collaborated with top healthcare brands like VeryWell Health, WebPT, and MedBridge. She blends her clinical expertise with a talent for creating clear, action-oriented content that empowers practitioners to excel. Passionate about elevating the OT profession, she has been featured on numerous industry podcasts. Sarah ultimately returned to her roots, running OT Potential and raising her family in her hometown of Aurora, Nebraska.