Practice-Based Evidence to Support Return to Work in Cancer Patients.
Huget Désiron, Berthold Simons, Annemie Spooren and 6 others
PMID 36189048WHAT IT FOUND
Belgian oncology staff said they lack knowledge of legal reintegration rules and rarely contact employers directly.
Work support usually waits for patient requests. A dedicated coordinator was seen as essential, but no single discipline claimed that role.
Key findings
01Care providers reported lacking knowledge about the legal framework for occupational reintegration and about other professionals' competences, leading to compartmentalized care.
02Work-related issues were typically addressed only after an explicit request from the patient, and direct contact with employers rarely occurred.
03Participants agreed a specific care professional should coordinate return-to-work efforts, but opinions varied widely on which discipline should hold that role.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study did not achieve representativeness across all disciplines, particularly underrepresenting occupational therapists. The telephone recruitment method limited the ability to explore reasons for non-participation. The findings reflect the perspectives of healthcare professionals and do not include patient outcomes or experiences. The sample size of 103 is small relative to the number of oncology institutions in Belgium.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the Belgian National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance. One author is employed by IDEWE, but no other commercial or financial conflicts were reported.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the call for a return-to-work coordinator as evidence that a specific discipline, such as occupational therapy, should take this role. The study found no consensus among participants on which professional is best suited for this coordination.