Factors affecting return to work in breast cancer survivors in Korea: a cross-sectional study.
Kate J Sohn, Sung Hae Kim, Hyojin Lee and 1 others
PMID 39756472WHAT IT FOUND
Among Korean breast cancer survivors who had worked before diagnosis, being single, 2 to 5 years after diagnosis, less anxious preoccupation and better quality of working life were linked with returning to work.
Key findings
01In the logistic regression, being single, being 2 to 5 years after diagnosis, lower anxious preoccupation and higher quality of working life were reported as predictors of return to work.
02Subjective fatigue was lower among currently employed participants than among those not currently employed, and physical fatigability was lower among participants who had returned to work than among those who had not.
03The logistic regression model explained 34.0% of return to work status.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study measured survivors at one time point, so it cannot show that fatigue, sleep, anxiety or work life caused return to work or non-return. The sample was convenience recruited from one hospital breast sonography centre, a support group and an online community, so it may not represent all Korean breast cancer survivors. Only participants who had worked before diagnosis were analysed, so it says nothing about survivors who had not worked before diagnosis. The sample was small (135 analysed), which may limit generalisability. The logistic model explained 34.0% of return to work status, so many relevant factors were not captured. All key variables were self-reported, so symptoms, work status and quality of working life may reflect current perception rather than objective function.
Declared interests
Sue Kim had been Editor-in-Chief of Women's Health Nursing since January 2020 and was not involved in the review process. Otherwise the authors reported no conflict of interest. Funding was from the 2018 Faculty Fund, College of Nursing, Yonsei University.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that reducing fatigue or improving sleep will make a survivor return to work. The study measured associations at one time point, and the reported logistic predictors were marital status, time since diagnosis, anxious preoccupation and quality of working life.