1. Factors Facilitating or Creating Barriers to Returning to Work in Head and Neck Cancer Patients Within the First 6 Months After Treatment.
- Author
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Chiu, Su-Erh, Cho, Kuei-An, Huang, Bing-Shen, Lin, Chien-Yu, Chung, Ching-Fang, Chang, Ya-Lan, and Chen, Shu-Ching
- Subjects
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HEAD & neck cancer treatment , *CANCER patient psychology , *RESEARCH , *MATHEMATICAL statistics , *INFERENTIAL statistics , *PARAMETERS (Statistics) , *CROSS-sectional method , *AGE distribution , *SELF-perception , *RESEARCH methodology , *INTERVIEWING , *FISHER exact test , *PATIENTS' attitudes , *SURVEYS , *T-test (Statistics) , *RESEARCH funding , *KARNOFSKY Performance Status , *DESCRIPTIVE statistics , *CHI-squared test , *EMPLOYMENT reentry , *STATISTICAL correlation , *DATA analysis software , *PSYCHOLOGICAL distress - Abstract
Head and neck cancer (HNC) patients who are unable to return to work after completing treatment might face financial loss and reduced self-esteem. The aim of this study was to identify factors influencing a return to work in HNC cancer patients in the first 6 months after treatment. This cross-sectional study examined HNC patients who completed treatment from the outpatient radiation department of a single cancer center in northern Taiwan. Patients were assessed according to psychological distress, patient-perceived health status, barriers to returning to work, and facilitators of returning to work. Of the 106 HNC patients surveyed, 54.7% successfully returned to work. Barriers to returning to work included poor self-perception of health, greater psychological distress, and age ≥50 years. Patients who had higher psychological distress, returned to work after start of the pandemic, or received reconstruction surgery were less likely to experience a positive environment facilitating a return to work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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