Supporting participation in paid work of cancer survivors and their partners in the Netherlands: protocol of the SusTained Employability in cancer Patients and their partnerS (STEPS) multi-centre randomized controlled trial and cohort study

Background Many cancer survivors experience physical and/or psychosocial problems affecting return to work (RTW) and work retention. Current interventions on RTW lack evidence regarding effectiveness, while interventions for work retention are missing. Partners of cancer survivors may also experience work- and health-related outcomes; yet, these consequences are not well understood. Here, the protocol of the STEPS study is described. The study aims are to: 1) evaluate the (cost-)effectiveness of a rehabilitation program for RTW and work retention in cancer survivors, and 2) assess health- and work-related outcomes among cancer survivors’ partners. Methods In a multicentre Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT), 236 working-age cancer survivors with an employment contract will be randomly allocated to a usual care group or an intervention group receiving a multidisciplinary rehabilitation program, combining occupational therapy facilitating work retention (e.g., energy management and self-efficacy training) and reintegration consultation addressing work-related issues (e.g., RTW planning and discussing workplace or task modifications with the supervisor). Alongside the RCT, a prospective cohort study will be conducted among cancer survivors’ partners (n = 267). Participants in the RCT and cohort study will be asked to complete questionnaires at baseline, and after six and 12 months, assessing work- and health-related outcomes. Generalized estimating equations will be used to assess intervention’s effectiveness, compared to usual care, regarding primary (i.e., working hours per week) and secondary outcomes. Also economic and process evaluations will be performed. For the cohort study, logistic or linear regression modelling will be applied assessing work- and health-related outcomes (primary outcome: working hours) of cancer survivors’ partners, and what factors predict these outcomes. Results The study is planned to start in September 2021; results are expected in 2023. Conclusion Compared to usual care, the STEPS intervention is hypothesized to be (cost-)effective and the intervention could be a valuable addition to standard care helping cancer survivors to sustain employment. Further, it is expected that living with a cancer survivor has a substantial impact on work and health of partners, while specific groups of partners that are at particular risk for this impact are likely to be identified. Trial registration Dutch Trial Register (NTR;NL9094; 15-12-2020).

Long-term outcomes among localized prostate cancer survivors: prospective predictors for return-to-work three years after cancer rehabilitation

Purpose This study aimed at (1) investigating the work status of men treated by radical prostatectomy due to diagnosis of localized prostate cancer (LPCa) three years after having attended a cancer rehabilitation program and (2) identifying prospective risk factors for not working at this time point. Methods In a longitudinal, questionnaire-based multicenter study, 519 working-age LPCa survivors reported on their work status 12 and 36 months following rehabilitation. Chi-square tests/t tests and multivariable logistic regression analysis were used to identify prospective factors associated with not working at 36 months follow-up. Results Nearly three quarter of LPCa survivors (N = 377, 73%) worked 3 years after post-acute rehabilitation. Most participants (N = 365, 71%) showed continuous return-to-work (RTW) patterns as they worked both 1 and 3 years following rehabilitation. Multivariable regression analysis revealed older age, low or middle socio-economic status as well as resigned and unambitious work behavior and fatigue at the time of attending the rehabilitation program to be prospective factors for not working at 36 months follow-up. Low socio-economic status [Odds ratio (OR) 4.81, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.07–11.16] and unambitious work behavior [OR 4.48, 95% CI 2.16–9.31] were the strongest predictors. Conclusion Long-term work retention is a realistic goal among LPCa survivors. The results contribute to the identification of at-risk LPCa survivors early in the RTW process. Special attention should be paid to social inequality. Further, interventions related to the management of fatigue and work-related coping styles could improve long-term RTW, as these were relevant, but potentially modifiable factors impeding work retention.

Will Disabled Workers Be Winners or Losers in the Post-COVID-19 Labour Market?

Workplace inflexibility contributes to the higher rates of job loss and unemployment experienced by disabled people. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries already had significant disability employment gaps. Based on evidence from previous recessions, the global recession resulting from the pandemic is likely to have a severer and longer-lasting impact on the employment of disabled workers compared with non-disabled workers. In the UK, there is already evidence that the disability employment gap has widened since the pandemic. On the other hand, the pandemic initiated increased access to home-working, a change in working arrangements that may prove beneficial to disabled workers employed in desk-based roles. Home-working can increase the accessibility of employment and support work retention for disabled workers, yet pre-pandemic many employers had withheld it. Studies of employees’ and employers’ experiences of home-working during the pandemic have indicated a desire to retain access to home-working in the future. A permanent cultural shift to increased access to home-working would help address the disability employment gap for desk-based workers. However, disabled workers are over-represented in jobs not conducive to home-working, and in sectors that have been hardest hit by business closures during the pandemic, so the position of many disabled workers is likely to remain precarious.

Success Rates of Monitoring for Healthcare Professionals with a Substance Use Disorder: A Meta-Analysis

In the past decades, monitoring programs have been developed for healthcare professionals with substance use disorders. We aimed to explore estimates of abstinence and work retention rates after participation in such monitoring programs. A literature search was performed using PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, and CINAHL. Twenty-nine observational studies reporting on success rates (abstinence and work retention) of monitoring for healthcare professionals with a substance use disorder were included in the meta-analysis. Quality-effects models calculated pooled success rates and corresponding 95%-Confidence Intervals (CI), with subgroup analyses on monitoring elements and patient characteristics. Pooled success rates were 72% for abstinence (95%-CI = 63–80%) and 77% for work retention (95%-CI = 61–90%). Heterogeneity across studies was partly explained by the starting moment of monitoring, showing higher abstinence rates for studies that started monitoring after treatment completion (79%; 95%-CI = 72–85%) compared to studies that started monitoring with treatment initiation (61%; 95%-CI = 50–72%). About three-quarters of healthcare professionals with substance use disorders participating in monitoring programs are abstinent during follow-up and working at the end of the follow-up period. Due to selection and publication bias, no firm conclusions can be drawn about the effectiveness of monitoring for healthcare professionals with SUD.

Predictors of job burnout among fieldwork supervisors of social work students

Summary In the helping professions, professional burnout is widely acknowledged to play a key role in work retention and turnover. However, although the literature on fieldwork education in social work engages with the importance of continuity and commitment regarding the role of fieldwork supervisor, the effects of job burnout are under-researched. Furthermore, there is also a gap in the literature with respect to the internal factors that contextualize burnout and retention among fieldwork supervisors. Against this background, the objective of the present study was to examine the factors that predict professional burnout among fieldwork supervisors in Israel. Questionnaires measuring burnout, as well as several internal explanatory factors for burnout—career identity, work significance, and personality traits—were used. Findings The findings of the study indicated that career identity, together with the personality characteristics of agreeableness and consciousness predict burnout negatively, while neuroticism positively predicts burnout. Applications The article discusses these findings in light of resource conservation and existential theories of burnout, as well as the potential implications for practice and policy.

Hubungan Antara Motivasi Kerja, Kepuasan Kerja dan Karakteristik Tenaga Kesehatan ASN terhadap Retensi Bekerja di Puskesmas: Analisis Data Risnakes 2017

ABSTRACT There is still a gap in the need for health workers based on the ratio of Indonesia's population in 2019. One of the policy recommendations issued by WHO states that it is necessary to maximize the retention of health workers in rural areas, especially those that are underserved by health services. It is also in line with the 3c's SDG's goals of increasing health financing and recruitment, development, training and retention of health workers. Previous studies state that the health service system in rural and remote areas can be implemented well if the motivation and retention of health workers increase so that there is no longer a migration of health workers. Another study shows that increasing incentives and job satisfaction is an effort that can be done to overcome the problem of doctor retention in the area. This study aims to determine the relationship of work motivation, job satisfaction and characteristics of ASN health workers to work retention at the Puskesmas. This study is the result of further analysis of Health Workforce Research (Risnakes) data in 2017 with a sample of all health workers in Puskesmas with ASN status. Data were analyzed univariate, bivariate and multivariate to see what factors most influenced. Based on the results of the study there is a significant relationship between age, sex, level of education, marital status, length of work at the Puskesmas and access to the workplace, motivation and job satisfaction with the retention of the ASN health personnel to continue working at the Puskesmas (p <0, 05). The results of multivariate analysis showed that easy access to the workplace was the dominant factor associated with work retention (OR = 1,928; 95% CI: 1,848-2,011). It is expected that local governments can provide easy access to the workplace for health workers who work at Puskesmas. The policy of building official housing for health workers can be a solution so that health workers feel at home when working in the regions. ABSTRAK Masih terdapat kesenjangan kebutuhan tenaga kesehatan berdasarkan rasio jumlah penduduk Indonesia di tahun 2019. Salah satu rekomendasi kebijakan yang dikeluarkan oleh WHO menyebutkan bahwa perlu memaksimalkan retensi tenaga kesehatan di daerah perdesaan terutama yang kurang terlayani dengan pelayanan kesehatan. Selain itu juga sejalan dengan sasaran 3c pada SDG’s yakni meningkatkan pembiayaan kesehatan dan rekrutmen, pengembangan, pelatihan dan retensi tenaga kesehatan. Studi terdahulu menyatakan bahwa sistem pelayanan kesehatan di perdesaan dan daerah terpencil dapat terlaksana dengan baik apabila motivasi dan retensi tenaga kesehatan meningkat sehingga tidak terjadi lagi migrasi tenaga kesehatan. Studi lain menunjukkan bahwa peningkatkan insentif dan kepuasan kerja merupakan upaya yang dapat dilakukan untuk mengatasi masalah retensi dokter di daerah. Penelitian ini bertujuan mengetahui hubungan motivasi kerja, kepuasan kerja dan karakteristik tenaga kesehatan ASN terhadap retensi kerja di Puskesmas. Studi ini merupakan hasil analisis lanjut dari data Riset Tenaga Kesehatan (Risnakes) tahun 2017 dengan sampel adalah seluruh tenaga kesehatan di Puskesmas yang berstatus ASN. Data dianalisis secara univariat, bivariat dan multivariat untuk melihat faktor apa yang paling berpengaruh. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian terdapat hubungan yang bermakna antara umur, jenis kelamin, tingkat pendidikan, status pernikahan, lama bekerja di Puskesmas dan akses menuju tempat kerja, motivasi dan kepuasan kerja dengan retensi atau kebetahan tenaga kesehatan ASN untuk terus bekerja di Puskesmas (p<0,05). Hasil analisis multivariat menunjukkan bahwa mudahnya akses menuju tempat kerja merupakan faktor dominan yang berhubungan dengan retensi kerja (OR=1,928; 95%CI: 1,848-2,011). Diharapkan pemerintah daerah dapat memberikan kemudahan akses menuju tempat kerja bagi tenaga kesehatan yang bekerja di Puskesmas. Kebijakan pembangunan rumah dinas bagi tenaga kesehatan dapat menjadi satu solusi agar tenaga kesehatan betah bekerja di daerah.

Factors associated with employment and expected work retention among persons with multiple sclerosis: findings of a cross-sectional citizen science study

Background Multiple sclerosis (MS) notably affects adults of working age. For persons with MS (PwMS), being employed enhances their quality of life and it may be regarded as an indicator of overall functioning. Thus, ensuring work participation in PwMS is of general public health interest. Objective To examine relevant socio-demographic, MS-, health- and work-related factors, including psychosocial working conditions, associated with currently working PwMS in Switzerland and their expected work retention. Methods Using cross-sectional data of PwMS in the Swiss MS Registry (n = 541, median age = 48 [IQR 40;55]), multivariable logistic regression models were computed. First, currently working PwMS were characterised in comparison with those not currently working. Second, expected work retention, operationalized as subjective judgement “likely to work in the same job in 2 years”, was examined within the group of currently working PwMS. Results The factors age (OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.92–0.99), sex (OR 0.28, 95% CI 0.13–0.60), highest achieved job position (OR 1.21, 95% CI 1.01–1.46), health-related quality of life (HRQoL) (OR 1.02, 95% CI 1.01–1.04) and the number of MS symptoms (OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.82–0.98) were associated with currently working PwMS. Moreover, HRQoL (OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.04–1.10) and psychosocial working conditions, such as job resources (e.g. autonomy, control or social support) (OR 2.83, 95% CI 1.50–5.33) and job demands (e.g. workload, time pressure) (OR 0.41, 95% CI 0.18–0.90) were important factors for expected work retention among this group. Conclusions Resourceful psychosocial working conditions are crucial for PwMS to maintain employment. Employers could contribute to work retention among PwMS by creating a work environment with resourceful psychosocial working conditions and providing, for instance, social support.

What characterises work and workplaces that retain their employees following acquired brain injury? Systematic review

ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review assessing workplace factors related to work retention (or return to work) in employees with acquired brain injury (ABI). Additionally, we aimed to synthesise the evidence and state of knowledge on this subject.MethodsA database search was performed in nine relevant electronic databases. Inclusion criteria were quantitative peer-reviewed publications empirically investigating the relationship between work/workplace factors and work retention in employees following ABI. The methodological quality was determined by Effective Public Health Practice Project scoring, and evidence was synthesised narratively.ResultsThirteen studies were included. We found moderate evidence for a negative relationship between manual work and work retention. We also found limited evidence for a U-shaped relationship between workload and complete work retention at 6 months and no relationship at 12 months; a positive relationship between managers, compared with non-managers, and faster work retention; a positive relationship between large enterprise size defined as ≥250 employees, and no relationship between large enterprise size, defined as ≥1000 employees, and work retention.ConclusionRelative to individual factors, there is little evidence on specific workplace factors’ relationship to work retention among employees with ABI. For most workplace factors, there were too few high-quality studies to designate evidence as more than limited or insufficient. Future studies should replicate rigorous studies of well-defined modifiable workplace factors related to work retention.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42018082201.