Survey of Information Sharing Related to the Occupational Considerations of Working Cancer Patients Between Occupational Physicians and Treating Physicians

Japanese Journal of Health and Human Ecology

et al. 2020

Objectives:This study aimed to assess the sense of difficulty in providing support for balancing cancer treatment and work among occupational health nurses (OHNs). Methods: Based on our previous qualitative study, we established a questionnaire including 11 items about the sense of difficulty in providing support to workers with cancer and their workplaces. The questionnaire was distributed to OHNs by mail. The 4-point Likert scale was used to obtain a higher score associated with a higher degree of difficulty. Factor analysis of the 11 items was conducted, and the difficulty score was calculated for each factor. To compare the difficulty scores among the factors, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test was conducted after the Friedman test. Rank correlation analysis was used to identify the relationship between the sense of difficulty and other variables. Results: The sense of difficulty was divided into the following four factors: difficulty in supporting along with the feelings of the worker with cancer, difficulty in collaborating with people concerned outside the company, difficulty in supporting the supervisors and workplaces, and difficulty in collaboration within the company. Significant difference among the factors was detected by Freidman test. Wilcoxon signed-rank test revealed that the second factor showed significantly higher difficulty score than others. A significant association was observed between greater sense of difficulty and less implementation of support. Discussion: Collaboration with people outside the company, such as hospital staffs and family members, seemed to be the most difficult activities for OHNs. Development of training programs based on this study will help OHNs overcome these difficulties and promote support to balance cancer treatment and work.

supporting

confidence: 91%

Sense of Difficulty in Providing Support for Balancing Cancer Treatment and Work Among Occupational Health Nurses

Japanese Journal of Health and Human Ecology

et al. 2020

“…Given increasingly aging workers and a growing trend for workers to be diagnosed with cancer 3,4) , and with many working in SMEs concerned about the lack of workers 16) , the findings obtained in this study can lead to not only securing the health of workers, but also securing manpower. It is thought that the understanding of company management will enable the promotion of support for balance within a company; therefore, strengthening awareness activities for management is desired 9,15) .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Given this situation, the Secondary Cancer Countermeasures Promotion Basic Plan incorporated "Enriching Cancer Countermeasures Among the Working" as a focal issue, and each prefecture has begun to work on surveys of actual conditions overall and corporate trainings, along with granting recognition to those companies with best practices for balancing between cancer treatment and work, as well as public awareness activity for those supporting practices. Many studies have been done on such initiatives in large enterprises 8,9) , although there have not as yet been many reports on best practices in small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a support tool for balancing cancer treatment and work in small and medium-sized enterprises

et al. 2019

EOH-P

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to develop a practical support tool to promote activities for balancing cancer treatment and work in small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and to evaluate its validity and feasibility. Methods: Based on good examples of the support at SMEs from our prior study, researchers discussed the basic structure and details of such a tool and developed its first version. The validity and feasibility were examined in a focus group interview with management experts and a mail survey to human resource (HR) managers in SMEs. The final version of the support tool was prepared based on their opinions. Results: The basic structure of the developed tool comprised two parts: an assessment part for self-checking the degree of balancing treatment and work and an information provision part offering an explanation of the assessment results and tips for improvement. We prepared 24 items for checking six fields that were strongly related to balance activities. Assessment results were displayed in a radar chart so that the strengths and weaknesses of one's own workplace could be visually determined at a glance. Management experts and HR managers evaluated this tool and found it easy to understand and useful. Conclusion: This tool seems to offer visible assessment of current activities for balancing cancer treatment and work and tips for improvement, resulting in increased motivation of employers and HR managers. We expect that this practical support tool will contribute to promote activities for balancing cancer treatment and work in many workplaces, including SMEs.

“…working life within a company, it is important to establish a return-to-work support system for cancer survivors, similar to other programs aiming to improve worker's self-care abilities 2,3) . Occupational health professionals have important roles and function to play in this process, as they are well placed to provide concrete advice and health guidance from the viewpoint of both business persons and medical professionals [4][5][6] .…”

Section: Environmental and Occupational Health Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

Development of an occupational health nurse’s guidebook to promote the balance between cancer treatment and work

et al. 2019

EOH-P

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to develop a guidebook to be used in "promoting the balance between cancer treatment of workers and continuation of their work". The guidebook was developed to promote collaboration among cancer survivors and employers, human resource personnel, supervisors, colleagues, and health providers, with the aid of occupational health nurses (OHNs). Methods: The guidebook is based on our previous survey and discussions with seven researchers who had experiences in occupational health nursing practices. The guidebook focuses on secondary and tertiary preventions aiming at promoting the smooth return to the workplace and continuing sound working lives of cancer survivors. Also, the guidebook includes primary prevention, such as promoting a good working culture. The tentative guidebook was evaluated for its usability and then further developed into a final version. Results: The guidebook we developed consists of four sections: 1. Introduction; 2. Twelve practical checkpoints for improved support in balancing cancer treatment and work; 3. Preparedness for cancer survivorship; and 4. Appendix, which include hypothetical support cases and practical information. Practical checkpoints are described with action phrases, which included four aspect: support for individual workers with cancer; support for supervisors and colleagues; collaborations with human resources staff; and collaborations with stakeholders inside and outside of the company. Conclusions: The authors believe that the use of this guidebook will contribute to improving the quality of occupational health services and promote balance between cancer treatment and continuation of sound working lives.