Authors (including presenting author) :
Keung NY, Wong KY, Chang YS, Wong HC, Chan WK, Chin YM
Affiliation :
Occupational Therapy Department, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital
Keyword 1: :
Cross-specialty collaboration
Keyword 2: :
Breast cancer care
Keyword 3: :
Integrated emotional management pathway
Keyword 4: :
Person‑centred psychosocial support
Keyword 5: :
Timely access
Keyword 6: :
Patient empowerment
Introduction :
Breast cancer profoundly impacts not only physical health but also psychological well‑being. Depression, anxiety, and hopelessness are common and are associated with reduced treatment adherence, poorer outcomes, and elevated risks of recurrence, mortality and suicide—particularly during the first year post‑diagnosis. Timely psychological support is therefore a critical safety issue, not merely a quality‑of‑life matter. However, the long waiting time for psychiatric consultation often delays emotional care. Recognizing this service gap, the psychiatric and surgical teams in Occupational Therapy (OT) Department collaborated to establish an integrated emotional management pathway. This pathway aims to deliver early, cross-specialty, and person‑centerd psychological support, ensuring holistic wellness among clients with breast cancer.
Objectives :
To evaluate the impact of the OT‑led emotional management pathway on timely access, emotional self‑management, and holistic wellness among clients with breast cancer.
Methodology :
Clients identified with mood disturbances by the surgical team were seamlessly referred to the psychiatric OTs for enrolment into the Emotional Management Program, which incorporated: - Psychoeducation on cancer‑related mood changes and coping; - Cognitive‑behavioural (CBT) strategies tackling unhelpful thinking; - Mindfulness and relaxation practice; and - Lifestyle medicine education to strengthen resilience and self‑care. Clients with more complex psychological needs were offered individualized OT sessions for further support. Outcome evaluation included service access metrics and users’ feedback via structured questionnaires.
Result & Outcome :
During 9-12/2025, five program cycles were conducted, accessing a total of 30 participants (N=30). This new integrated OT referral workflow successfully expanded service coverage from 7 to 30 clients within four months. The average waiting time for psychological intervention was also productively shortened from about 30 weeks to 8–12 weeks, enabling much earlier emotional support. Survey outcomes indicated high satisfaction and perceived benefits: - 89.3% reported improved insight and coping skills; - 90% demonstrated enhanced self‑efficacy in managing emotional challenges; - 92.6% agreed the program fostered emotional well‑being and recovery. Participants emphasized the value of the program’s accessibility, holistic content, and patient empowerment. This innovative pathway effectively bridged service gaps by providing timely, evidence‑based, and person‑centred psychosocial care for clients with breast cancer. This approach showcased improvements in service efficiency and client outcomes, highlighting its potential for wider implementation across oncology and other critical illness settings within the hospital setting.
