Health related quality of life and factors relevant to return to work in cancer survivors after hospital discharge: a descriptive cross-sectional study

Mizuno, Michiyo; Munezawa, Noriko; Onizuka, Mami; Kashiwa, Saori; Inoue, Yumiko; Kataoka, Jun; Taniguchi, Ai; Mayers, Thomas

doi:10.1007/s44155-022-00026-w

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…White-collar workers were more able to RTW after BC than were blue-collar workers (36). Blue-collar workers may face job loss and/or challenges in finding new employment due to both cancer and treatment impacts restricting more physically-skilled work (44,45).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Return to work, work productivity loss and activity impairment in Chinese breast cancer survivors 12-month post-surgery: a longitudinal study

Ng,

So,

Fielding

et al. 2024

Front. Public Health

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IntroductionExisting evidence of returning-to-work (RTW) after cancer comes predominately from Western settings, with none prospectively examined since the initial diagnostic phase. This study prospectively documents RTW-rate, time-to-RTW, work productivity loss, and activity impairment, within the first-year post-surgery among Chinese women with breast cancer (BCW) and identify potential causal co-variants.MethodsThis observational longitudinal study followed 371 Chinese BCW who were employed/self-employed at the time of diagnosis at 4-week post-surgery (baseline). RTW-status and time-to-RTW were assessed at baseline (T1), 4-month (T2), 6-month (T3), and 12-month (T4) post-baseline. WPAI work productivity loss and activity impairment were assessed at T4. Baseline covariates included demographics, medical-related factors, work satisfaction, perceived work demand, work condition, RTW self-efficacy, B-IPQ illness perception, COST financial well-being, EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BR23 physical and psychosocial functioning, and HADS psychological distress.ResultsA 68.2% RTW-rate (at 12-month post-surgery), prolonged delay in RTW (median = 183 days), and significant proportions of T4 work productivity loss (20%), and activity impairment (26%), were seen. BCW who were blue-collar workers with lower household income, poorer financial well-being, lower RTW self-efficacy, poorer job satisfaction, poorer illness perception, greater physical symptom distress, impaired physical functioning, and unfavorable work conditions were more likely to experience undesired work-related outcomes.DiscussionUsing a multifactorial approach, effective RTW interventions should focus on not only symptom management, but also to address psychosocial and work-environmental concerns. An organizational or policy level intervention involving a multidisciplinary team comprising nurses, psychologists, occupational health professionals, and relevant stakeholders in the workplace might be helpful in developing a tailored organizational policy promoting work-related outcomes in BCW.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%