OTOtherAustralian occupational therapy journal2019

Adaptation of the Possibilities for Activity Scale for women encountering cancer (PActS-W).

Mackenzi Pergolotti, Kemi M Doll, Emily O Fawaz and 1 others

PMID 30178883

WHAT IT FOUND

The PActS-W asks women after cancer surgery what activities they feel they should be doing and what they believe they could do.

In 186 women, a shortened version showed consistent scores and related to quality of life. It may guide OT discussions about activity expectations.

Key findings

01The final scale removed spiritual and creative activities after poor initial performance.

02The shortened scale was positively related to physical and mental quality of life scores.

03The shortened scale showed consistent internal scores in this sample.

STILL TO COME

How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs

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What it does not show

The study tested the scale only at one month after surgery. The final scale was changed after seeing the data by removing spiritual and creative items. It needs confirmation in a new sample. Analyses included only women who completed more than half of the scale at the 1-month interview. The sample was 77% White, 58% married, and 58% had endometrial cancer, and some women had benign pathology. The scale may not be representative of all women with cancer at large. The study did not test test-retest reliability or whether using the scale improves occupational therapy care or outcomes.

Declared interests

The supplied metadata lists NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research support. The article text does not state a conflicts of interest declaration.

The easy way to misread this

Do not conclude that the PActS-W improves care or outcomes. This study tested the scale in one sample of women after gynaecologic surgery, and it did not test whether using the scale changes treatment or quality of life.

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