Academic Urology Unit, Institute of Applied Health Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK.
Centre for Sustainable Working Life, Birkbeck University of London, London, UK.
Chronic Illn. 2022 Sep;18(3):503-516. doi: 10.1177/1742395320987883. Epub 2021 Jan 21.
Work is an important aspect of everyday life. This remains true for those living with and beyond cancer. Less is known about how the meaning of work may change over the cancer journey, the needs of the individual in response to changes and how healthcare professionals and employing organisations can meet these needs. The aim of this study was to explore the lived experience of work after treatment for breast cancer in a group of professional working women within the UK.
This article presents an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) of the experiences of 15 professional women diagnosed with breast cancer.
We discuss these women's journey from (1) rethinking the meaning of work to (2) making decisions about work ability and advice on work to (3) transitioning back in to the workplace and the value of continued engagement with employer.
The findings from this study demonstrate the complex interplay between living with cancer, treatment decisions and work. This study highlights two key areas for inclusion in practice: (1) support from Healthcare Professionals and judgements of functional ability and work ability and (2) the role of line managers in managing cancer and work.
工作是日常生活的重要组成部分。对于那些患有癌症或癌症康复后的人来说，这一点依然成立。然而，对于工作的意义如何随着癌症治疗过程而发生变化、个体在应对变化时的需求以及医疗保健专业人员和雇主组织如何满足这些需求，人们的了解较少。本研究的目的是在英国的一群职业女性中，探索乳腺癌治疗后工作的实际体验。
本文对 15 名被诊断患有乳腺癌的职业女性的经历进行了阐释现象学分析（IPA）。
我们讨论了这些女性从（1）重新思考工作的意义到（2）对工作能力做出决策和获取工作建议，再到（3）过渡回到工作场所的历程，以及与雇主保持持续互动的价值。
本研究的结果表明，癌症患者的生活、治疗决策和工作之间存在复杂的相互作用。本研究强调了实践中应包括两个关键领域：（1）医疗保健专业人员的支持以及对功能能力和工作能力的判断；（2）直线经理在管理癌症和工作方面的作用。
