Factors associated with return to work following myocardial infarction: A systematic review of observational studies

Abstract

Objectives To identify and critically synthesise literature on return to work of patients following a myocardial infarction and to identify factors that are associated with this. Background Understanding when patients return to work after myocardial infarction and what factors are associated with this may be helpful in designing person‐centred treatment plans to facilitate patients' rehabilitation and return to work. Design A narrative systematic review. Review methods Six databases, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Academic Search Complete, EMBASE, SCOPUS and ProQuest Health and Medicine, and the search engine Google were searched to retrieve peer‐reviewed articles published in English from January 2008–January 2020. In total, 22,217 papers were sourced and screened, with 18 papers retained for quality appraisal using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Tools. Results The mean time to return to work varied between 46–192 days; about half the participants resumed work by 3 months. Patients who were male, younger, educated, non‐manual workers or owned their own business, and those who evaluated their general and mental health highly, and had shorter hospitalisation, fewer comorbidities, complications and mental health issues were more likely to return to work after myocardial infarction. Relevance to clinical practice Findings may help nurses detect patients at increased risk of failure to return to work and provide appropriate support to facilitate this.

Prevalence and determinants of return to work after various coronary events: meta-analysis of prospective studies

“…RTW prevalence estimates varied from 47.3% before three months, 88.0% at 3–6 months, 77% at 6–12 month, to 80% after 12 months. In their systematic review without meta-analysis, Sun et al reported that RTW occurred in 21.5% to 62.5% of the participants within three months which agrees with the expected prevalences observed in our meta-analyses (PI [26.6; 68.4]) 65 . They also suggested that 55.9% to 90% of the participants RTW within 6 to 12 months while our estimations were wider (expected prevalences between 20.2 and 100%).…”

Predicting Return to Work Following Myocardial Infarction: A Prospective Longitudinal Cohort Study

“…Studies from the US found that married people with greater physical health and no history of CHD and hypertension were more likely to RTW at 12 months post-MI [10], whereas hospital readmissions, smoking, and hypertension inhibited work resumption during this time [9]. A systematic review demonstrated demographic, behavioral, clinical, and psychosocial factors significantly related to a work resumption post-MI, including gender, age, educational level, work type, duration of hospitalization, comorbidities, complications, mental health, and self-evaluated general health [24]. However, no study has focused on the Korean population regarding this topic.…”

“…To answer research question 2, demographic, behavioral, and clinical variables were chosen based on the findings of a systemic review of factors related to RTW after MI [24].…”

“…The characteristics of participants who did and did not RTW by three months postdischarge are compared in Table 2. Ten potential independent variables were selected on a theoretical basis using the findings of the systematic review conducted by Sun et al [24]. The variables that were shown in previous studies to have statistically significant associations (p < 0.05) with an RTW post-MI were age, gender, educational level, smoking, LVEF, diabetes, hypertension, depression, anxiety, and social support [24].…”

“…Ten potential independent variables were selected on a theoretical basis using the findings of the systematic review conducted by Sun et al [24]. The variables that were shown in previous studies to have statistically significant associations (p < 0.05) with an RTW post-MI were age, gender, educational level, smoking, LVEF, diabetes, hypertension, depression, anxiety, and social support [24]. Rates of an RTW were statistically significantly different in females vs. males.…”