title: Problem-solving strategies of women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Many women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer experience side effects that make it difficult to perform daily occupations.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To summarize the types of challenges, goals, and adaptive strategies identified by women with stage 1-3 breast cancer participating in a pilot study of Problem-solving Treatment-Occupational Therapy (PST-OT).
  
  
  METHODS
  Content analysis of 80 PST-OT sessions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Women addressed 11 types of challenging activities, with exercise and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) being the most common. Most women set a goal to adapt a current activity, but also set goals to find a new activity, plan the steps of a current activity, or gather information about a possible activity change in the future. The adaptive strategies generated by the women were grouped into five types. Most often they found ways to add a new step to an activity, but they also brainstormed about when, how, where, and with whom they could do activities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The women were usually trying to adapt familiar activities but also were looking for ways to include new, healthy occupations into their routines.
authors.affiliation: Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, NH, USA. kathleen.d.lyons@dartmouth.edu
authors.forename: Kathleen D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Lyons
authors.forename: Kelly S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Erickson
authors.forename: Mark T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Hegel
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009788:Occupational Therapy; D011340:Problem Solving