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Oncology
Research
Employment status and work-related problems of gastrointestinal cancer patients at diagnosis: a cross-sectional study
  1. A G E M de Boer1,
  2. D J Bruinvels1,
  3. K M A J Tytgat2,3,
  4. A Schoorlemmer2,3,
  5. J H G Klinkenbijl3,4,
  6. M H W Frings-Dresen1
  1. 1Coronel Institute of Occupational Health (Outpatient Clinic People and Work), Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  2. 2Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  3. 3Gastrointestinal Oncology Center Amsterdam (GIOCA), Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  4. 4Department of Surgery, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  1. Correspondence to Dr A G E M de Boer; a.g.deboer{at}amc.nl

Abstract

Objective To assess the employment status of patients with gastrointestinal cancer at diagnosis and to examine work-related problems of employed patients.

Design New, consecutive patients were included at the Gastrointestinal Oncology Center Amsterdam, a one-stop, rapid access diagnostic assessment centre. Patients were interviewed on their employment status by a nurse. If (self-) employed, patients were asked to self-report on work-related problems, perceived distress (0–10), cancer-related problems, fatigue (MFI-20, range 4–20) and work ability (three WAI questions, range 0–10).

Results Of all 333 included new consecutive patients (age range 32–89 years), 95 patients (28%) were (self-) employed at time of diagnosis, 179 (54%) were pensioners, and 59 were not working (18%). For the assessment of work-related problems, 45 (47%) of these 95 employed patients with cancer participated. Their mean age was 56 years, and patients had oesophageal/stomach (49%), colorectal (18%) or hepatic/pancreatic/biliary cancer (33%). Half of the employed patients (49%) were still at work, while 51% were on sick leave. The main reasons for sick leave were stress (35%), (scheduled) operation (26%), fatigue (17%) and pain (13%). Most patients on sick leave (70%) had no contact with their own occupational physician, although the majority (67%) would like to continue to work. Work-related problems were experienced by 73% of working patients. The mean work ability was 5.4, the mean general fatigue score was 11.5, and the mean distress score was 4.7. Employed patients on sick leave reported a lower work ability, more fatigue and higher distress but no more cancer-related problems compared with those still working.

Conclusion A quarter of all patients with gastrointestinal cancer seen at an oncological centre are employed at time of diagnosis, and of these employed patients, 73% experience work-related problems. During diagnosis and treatment, information and support on work-related issues should be offered to patients with cancer as an essential part of high-quality oncological care.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial License, which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non commercial and is otherwise in compliance with the license. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/ and http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/legalcode.

https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2011-000190

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    Footnotes

    • To cite: de Boer AGEM, Bruinvels DJ, Tytgat KMAJ, et al. Employment status and work-related problems of patients with gastrointestinal cancer at diagnosis: a cross-sectional study. BMJ Open 2011;2:e000190. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2011-000190

    • Funding This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests None.

    • Patient consent Obtained.

    • Ethics approval Ethics approval was provided by The Medical Ethics Committee of the Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam.

    • Contributors AGEMdB: data analysis, writing this article. DJB: study design, data collection, data analysis, reviewed and critiqued this article. KMAJT: study design, reviewed and critiqued this article. AS: study design, data collection, reviewed and critiqued this article. JHGK: study design, reviewed and critiqued this article. MHWF-D: study design, reviewed and critiqued this article.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

    • Data sharing statement No further data available.