Occupational health professionals frequently advise about return to work after surgery. Providing advice can be challenging, and considerable misunderstanding exists among patients and clinicians. One patient may return to work 1 week after a hysterectomy while another is absent for 5 months. Advice on returning to work after surgery should be based on knowledge of tissue healing processes, along with adverse effects of smoking and obesity, perioperative infection, and co-morbidity. Medical issues are often confounded by inconsistent advice, inappropriate beliefs, and unhelpful motivators. There is a recognized limitation in the evidence base. However, consensus is available from a number of guidelines drawn up by various expert bodies, which are covered in this chapter.
Cancer Survivors and Returning to Work Perspectives from Occupational Health Physicians in Korea
