Main Deborah S, Nowels Carolyn T, Cavender Tia A, Etschmaier Martine, Steiner John F
Department of Family Medicine, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO 80045-0508, USA.
Psychooncology. 2005 Nov;14(11):992-1004. doi: 10.1002/pon.913.
Few studies have examined the impact of cancer on the survivor's quality of work life. The purpose of this qualitative study is to describe the work experiences among a diverse group of cancer survivors and to explore factors influencing decisions about work after cancer diagnosis and treatment. We interviewed 28 participants with a broad range of socioeconomic backgrounds and primary cancer sites. Qualitative results indicate that after learning about their cancer diagnosis, participants had diverse and complex patterns of work return and work change, and experienced a variety of factors that influenced post-cancer decisions. Experiences at work after cancer also varied in relation to how others responded, changes in productivity, effects of cancer and treatment on work, and feelings about work. Most respondents received little guidance from their physicians about work, and many participants described their cancer as impacting their priority of work relative to other aspects of their lives. Our findings reinforce the complexity of measuring employment outcomes and the range of adaptations made to improve the quality of work life. Additional research is needed to identify prognostic factors that can guide clinical or workplace efforts to restore cancer survivors to their desired level of work function and economic productivity.
很少有研究考察癌症对幸存者工作生活质量的影响。这项定性研究的目的是描述不同类型癌症幸存者的工作经历，并探讨影响癌症诊断和治疗后工作决策的因素。我们采访了28名具有广泛社会经济背景和原发性癌症部位的参与者。定性结果表明，在得知自己患癌症后，参与者的工作回归和工作变动模式多样且复杂，并经历了多种影响癌症后决策的因素。癌症后的工作经历在他人反应、生产力变化、癌症及治疗对工作的影响以及对工作的感受等方面也各不相同。大多数受访者从医生那里得到的关于工作的指导很少，许多参与者表示他们的癌症影响了他们相对于生活其他方面的工作优先级。我们的研究结果强化了衡量就业成果的复杂性以及为提高工作生活质量所做的各种适应措施。需要进一步的研究来确定预后因素，以指导临床或工作场所的努力，使癌症幸存者恢复到他们期望的工作功能水平和经济生产力。
