scholarly journals Manager perspectives on workers’ return to work after cancer treatment

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
S Torp ◽  
Å Valle-Olsen ◽  
B Brusletto
Keyword(s):  
Return To Work ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Cancer Treatment ◽  
Cancer Survivor ◽  
Work Ability ◽  
Working Life ◽  
Good Care ◽  
Need Support ◽  
After Cancer ◽  
Depth Interviews

Abstract Background Due to improved cancer treatment, the survival rate of cancer is increasing Unfortunately, many cancer survivors suffer from serious late effects because of this treatment. Therefore, more and more cancer survivors with reduced work ability are, and will in the future be, in work. To include this group of workers in working life is a challenge for the society in general and for the enterprises in particular. The aim of this study was to investigate managers’ experiences regarding cancer survivors’ return to work (RTW). Methods We performed qualitative individual in-depth interviews with nine managers who had experience with workers who needed adaptations at work after cancer treatment. The interviews were transcribed in verbatim and thematically analyzed in accordance with guidelines for stepwise deductive-inductive analysis (Tjora, 2016). Results All managers emphasized the importance of taking good care of workers with serious diseases and to adapt work according to their work ability. The managers tried to follow the Work Environment Act and guidelines given by the Norwegian Labor and Welfare Administration but they experienced that the guidelines did not fit well with the needs of the cancer survivor and/or the enterprise. A good RTW process was dependent on an open dialog that was initiated early in the RTW trajectory to establish a sense of safe situation for both the cancer survivor and the company. A good RTW process could only be established if the colleagues of the survivor gave their support to both the survivor and the manager. In addition, it was of great importance that the needs of the cancer survivor had to be balanced by the production needs of the enterprise. Conclusions Managers need support from health personnel and social security agencies to support cancer survivors to retain work. Key messages Cancer survivors need adaptations at work. Managers are crucial in securing a successful vocational rehabilitation of cancer survivors.

scholarly journals Impact of Cancer on Work and Education Among Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Survivors

2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (19) ◽  
pp. 2393-2400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen M. Parsons ◽  
Linda C. Harlan ◽  
Charles F. Lynch ◽  
Ann S. Hamilton ◽  
Xiao-Cheng Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young Adult ◽  
Return To Work ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Cancer Treatment ◽  
Hodgkin’S Lymphoma ◽  
Adolescent And Young Adult ◽  
Hodgkin's Lymphoma ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Patients With Cancer ◽  
After Cancer

Purpose To examine the impact of cancer on work and education in a sample of adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients with cancer. Patients and Methods By using the Adolescent and Young Adult Health Outcomes and Patient Experience Study (AYA HOPE)—a cohort of 463 recently diagnosed patients age 15 to 39 years with germ cell cancer, Hodgkin's lymphoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, sarcoma, and acute lymphocytic leukemia from participating Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) cancer registries—we evaluated factors associated with return to work/school after cancer diagnosis, a belief that cancer had a negative impact on plans for work/school, and reported problems with work/school after diagnosis by using descriptive statistics, χ2 tests, and multivariate logistic regression. Results More than 72% (282 of 388) of patients working or in school full-time before diagnosis had returned to full-time work or school 15 to 35 months postdiagnosis compared with 34% (14 of 41) of previously part-time workers/students, 7% (one of 14) of homemakers, and 25% (five of 20) of unemployed/disabled patients (P < .001). Among full-time workers/students before diagnosis, patients who were uninsured (odds ratio [OR], 0.21; 95% CI, 0.07 to 0.67; no insurance v employer-/school-sponsored insurance) or quit working directly after diagnosis (OR, 0.15; 95% CI, 0.06 to 0.37; quit v no change) were least likely to return. Very intensive cancer treatment and quitting work/school were associated with a belief that cancer negatively influenced plans for work/school. Finally, more than 50% of full-time workers/students reported problems with work/studies after diagnosis. Conclusion Although most AYA patients with cancer return to work after cancer, treatment intensity, not having insurance, and quitting work/school directly after diagnosis can influence work/educational outcomes. Future research should investigate underlying causes for these differences and best practices for effective transition of these cancer survivors to the workplace/school after treatment.

scholarly journals Supporting Self-Employed Cancer Survivors to Continue Working: Experiences of Social Welfare Counsellors and Survivors

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 4164
Author(s):  
Steffen Torp ◽  
Birgit Brusletto ◽  
Bente Nygaard ◽  
Tina Blomquist Withbro ◽  
Linda Sharp
Keyword(s):  
Social Welfare ◽  
Return To Work ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
The Self ◽  
Difficult Situation ◽  
Social Welfare System ◽  
The Social ◽  
Salaried Workers ◽  
After Cancer ◽  
Depth Interviews

Few studies have investigated the support needed or received by self-employed cancer survivors to continue working. In Norway, the Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV) is responsible for supporting people both practically and financially to continue or return to work following ill health. Social welfare counsellors (NAV counsellors) are responsible for guiding workers in their effort to return to work. This study aimed to investigate NAV counsellors’ experiences of supporting self-employed cancer survivors. We also report how self-employed people experienced the support they received from NAV during and after cancer treatment. We conducted individual in-depth interviews among seven self-employed cancer survivors and seven NAV counsellors with experience in supporting self-employed cancer survivors. The survivors experienced NAV as largely absent and considered that the support offered was not very useful. The NAV counsellors stated that self-employed workers are in a difficult situation and that regulations and means of support were primarily designed to fit salaried workers. While they felt they were supposed to function as an “employer” for the self-employed, they found this difficult because of lack of time, expertise and means for supporting self-employed. These findings suggest that the social welfare system in Norway is not adapted to support sick self-employed people appropriately.

scholarly journals Healthy Living After Cancer Treatment: Considerations for Clinical and Community Practice

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 215-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shirley M. Bluethmann ◽  
Christopher N. Sciamanna ◽  
Renate M. Winkels ◽  
Kathleen M. Sturgeon ◽  
Kathryn H. Schmitz
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Cancer Treatment ◽  
Central Component ◽  
Community Practice ◽  
Lifestyle Behaviors ◽  
Healthy Living ◽  
Treatment Considerations ◽  
After Cancer ◽  
Epidemiology Studies

As the number of US cancer survivors now reaches almost 16 million, understanding how to care for survivors after cancer treatment has demanded national attention. Increasingly, compelling benefits of lifestyle behaviors for cancer prevention and control have been demonstrated. In particular, physical activity is recommended as a central component of healthy living after cancer treatment. However, survivors struggle to achieve recommended physical activity and other behaviors for reasons that are still not well understood. Further, as greater than 60% of cancer survivors are older than 65 years, there is a unique opportunity to increase engagement of older adults in health programs and clinical trials. This article considers evidence from two reviews: a review on epidemiology studies of lifestyle and cancer and a review on different behavioral intervention strategies to achieve positive behavioral changes in cancer survivors. Both reviews offer important evidence on the role of lifestyle in life after cancer treatment. However, more investigation is needed on the practice of lifestyle medicine for cancer survivors, including ways to extend the reach of health promotion beyond cancer clinics, to primary care and community settings.

scholarly journals Consequences of Cervical Cancer Treatment on Sexual Health in Chinese Cancer Survivors: A Qualitative Study

2019 ◽  
pp. 31-36
Author(s):  
Sha Ye ◽  
Xiangcheng Yang ◽  
Guoping He ◽  
Peter Maciek ◽  
Wenjuan Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Cancer ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Cancer Treatment ◽  
Sexual Activity ◽  
Sexual Life ◽  
Patient Centered ◽  
Descriptive Phenomenology ◽  
Colaizzi's Method ◽  
After Cancer ◽  
Chinese Cancer Survivors

Background: The attitudes and perceptions of cervical cancer survivors (CCS) toward sexual activity after a diagnosis of cervical cancer and its treatment are unknown. This study describes the experience of CCS in Hunan Chinese about sexuality and sexual function after cervical cancer treatment. Methods: We used descriptive phenomenology to qualitatively assess these experiences. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 20 CCS. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed according to Colaizzi’s method to explore the essence of the experience in sexuality among CCS after cancer treatment. Results: Uncertainty, fear, and worry dominated the attitudes and behaviors of CCS-related to sexual activity after treatment. Four themes explain these complex emotional responses: 1) needing information; 2) dealing with sexual changes physically and emotionally; 3) communicating with a partner; 4) attribution of fault to her one-lifetime sexual partner. Conclusion: Sexual life was influenced by the physical changes associated with cervical cancer treatment. These changes in combination with inadequate information and limited communication led to uncertainty, fear and worry about engaging in sexual activity and relationship distress. Chinese CCS need targeted and patient-centered information on the change in sexual life caused by treatment, anticipatory guidance, and support in communication with providers and partners, and strategies to cope with the physical and psychosexual sequelae of treatment, all of which must be congruent with their cultural norms.

scholarly journals Fertility Preservation and Sexual Health After Cancer Therapy

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 643-651 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nigel Pereira ◽  
Glenn L. Schattman
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Sexual Dysfunction ◽  
Sexual Function ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Cancer Treatment ◽  
Fertility Preservation ◽  
Cancer Treatments ◽  
Life Issues ◽  
After Cancer

Recent developments in cancer diagnostics and treatments have considerably improved long-term survival rates. Despite improvements in chemotherapy regimens, more focused radiotherapy and diverse surgical options, cancer treatments often have gonadotoxic side-effects that can manifest as loss of fertility or sexual dysfunction, particularly in young cancer survivors. In this review, we focus on two pertinent quality-of-life issues in female cancer survivors of reproductive age—fertility preservation and sexual function. Fertility preservation encompasses all clinical and laboratory efforts to preserve a woman’s chance to achieve future genetic motherhood. These efforts range from well-established protocols such as ovarian stimulation with cryopreservation of embryos or oocytes, to nascent clinical trials involving cryopreservation and re-implantation of ovarian tissue. Therefore, fertility preservation strategies are individualized to the cancer diagnosis, time interval until initiation of treatments must begin, prognosis, pubertal status, and maturity level of patient. Some patients choose not to pursue fertility preservation, and the conversation then centers around other quality of life issues. Not all cancer treatments cause loss of fertility; however, most treatments can directly impact the physical and psychosocial aspects of sexual function. Cancer treatment is also associated with fear, anxiety, and depression, which can further decrease sexual desire, function, and frequency. Sexual dysfunction after cancer treatment is generally ascertained by compassionate inquiry. Strategies to promote sexual function after cancer treatment include pelvic floor exercises, clitoral therapy devices, pharmacologic agents, as well as couples-based psychotherapeutic and psycho-educational interventions. Quality-of-life issues in young cancer survivors are often best addressed by utilizing a multidisciplinary team consisting of physicians, nurses, social workers, psychiatrists, sex educators, counselors, or therapists.

scholarly journals Long-Term Survivorship Care After Cancer Treatment - Summary of a 2017 National Cancer Policy Forum Workshop

2018 ◽  
Vol 110 (12) ◽  
pp. 1300-1310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald M Kline ◽  
Neeraj K Arora ◽  
Cathy J Bradley ◽  
Eden R Brauer ◽  
Darci L Graves ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Cancer Treatment ◽  
Care Planning ◽  
Survivorship Care ◽  
Care Plans ◽  
Adult Cancer Survivors ◽  
After Cancer ◽  
Survivorship Care Planning ◽  
Policy Forum

Abstract The National Cancer Policy Forum of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine sponsored a workshop on July 24 and 25, 2017 on Long-Term Survivorship after Cancer Treatment. The workshop brought together diverse stakeholders (patients, advocates, academicians, clinicians, research funders, and policymakers) to review progress and ongoing challenges since the Institute of Medicine (IOM)’s seminal report on the subject of adult cancer survivors published in 2006. This commentary profiles the content of the meeting sessions and concludes with recommendations that stem from the workshop discussions. Although there has been progress over the past decade, many of the recommendations from the 2006 report have not been fully implemented. Obstacles related to the routine delivery of standardized physical and psychosocial care services to cancer survivors are substantial, with important gaps in care for patients and caregivers. Innovative care models for cancer survivors have emerged, and changes in accreditation requirements such as the Commission on Cancer’s (CoC) requirement for survivorship care planning have put cancer survivorship on the radar. The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation’s Oncology Care Model (OCM), which requires psychosocial services and the creation of survivorship care plans for its beneficiary participants, has placed increased emphasis on this service. The OCM, in conjunction with the CoC requirement, is encouraging electronic health record vendors to incorporate survivorship care planning functionality into updated versions of their products. As new models of care emerge, coordination and communication among survivors and their clinicians will be required to implement patient- and community-centered strategies.

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