Authors Ivica Ratoša Institute of Oncology Ljubljana; University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Medicine Cvetka Grašič Kuhar Institute of Oncology Ljubljana; University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Medicine DOI: https://doi.org/10.25670/oi2022-001on Keywords: Breast cancer, Treatment, Sick leave, Rehabilitation, Return to work Abstract

Izhodišča: Optimizacija rehabilitacije onkoloških bolnikov in njihova vrnitev na delo je pomembna tako za izboljšanje počutja te ranljive skupine kot tudi za zmanjšanje družbenih in finančnih vplivov na celotno družbo. Osebe, ki so prebolele raka, se skušajo po zdravljenju vrniti na delo in poskušajo ponovno vzpostaviti nekdanjo strukturo vsakdanjega življenja. Z raziskavo smo  želeli  raziskati stališča onkologov do bolniške odsotnosti bolnic z rakom dojk.
Metode: Izvedli smo manjšo anonimno spletno anketo o stališčih do bolniške odsotnosti med slovenskimi onkologi, ki se sodelujejo pri zdravljenu bolnic z rakom dojk.  
Rezultati: Na spletno anketo je od 52 povabljenih onkologov odgovorilo 24 (46,2%), od tega 8 (33,3 %) specialistov internistične onkologije, 9 (37,5 %) specialistov onkologije z radioterapijo in 7 (29,2 %) specialistov kirurgov. Stališče onkologov, ocenjeno z 10-stopenjsko Likertovo lestvico, je, da je pogovor z bolnico in obravnava vprašanj o vrnitvi na delovno mesto zelo pomemben del celostne obravnave (povprečna ocena 8,4/10). Hkrati pa ocenjujejo, da je razmerje med časom, ki ga imajo vsakodnevno na voljo za obravnavo bolnic z rakom dojk in časom, ki ga lahko posvetijo vprašanjem o bolniški odsotnosti med ali po zaključenem zdravljenju, slabo (povprečna ocena 3,6/10). Sorazmerno pogosto se srečujejo s t.i. »pritiski« bolnic v zvezi s podajanjem mnenj v zvezi z bolniško odsotnostjo ali invalidsko upokojitvijo (povprečna ocena 6,5/10). V okviru vprašalnika so bili zbrani tudi predlogi za dolžino bolniškega staleža upoštevajoč vrsto in zahtevnost zdravljenja ter individualne dejavnike. Predlagana je bila skupina strokovnjakov, ki bi sestavljala multidisciplinaren tim za obravnavo bolnic z bolniškim staležem.
Zaključki: Pri obravnavi onkoloških bolnikov in presoji vrnitve na delo je nujen individualno prilagojen multidisciplinarni pristop. V pričujoči raziskavi so zbrana stališča onkologov o obravnavi bolnic z rakom dojk, ki so v delovnem razmerju, ki so lahko podlaga za nadaljnje raziskovanje.

Abstract (Eng)

Background: Optimizing rehabilitation and return to work for patients with cancer is critical for both enhancing the well-being of this vulnerable population and decreasing social and financial costs on society as a whole. People who have survived cancer attempt to return to work and re-establish the former structure of their daily lives. In this article, we will look at oncologists' perspectives on sick leave for patients following breast cancer diagnosis.
Methods: We conducted a small anonymous online survey on attitudes towards sick leave among Slovenian oncologists involved in the treatment of patients with breast cancer.
Results: Twenty-four (46.2%) of 52 invited oncologists answered to the online survey, including 8 (33.3%) medical oncologists, 9 (37.5 %) radiation oncologists, and 7 (29.2%) surgeons. Oncologists' position, as measured on a 10-point Likert scale, is that communicating with patients and addressing their issues at return-to-work is a critical component of oncological care (average score 8.4/10). Simultaneously, they think that the ratio of time allocated to patients with breast cancer to time available for sick leave discussions during or after treatment is insufficient (average score 3.6/10). They experience "pressures" from patients regarding oppinion making for sick leave or disability retirement on a relatively frequent basis (average score 6.5/10). Additionally, the questionnaire included recommendations for the duration of sick leave, taking into account the nature and complexity of the therapy, as well as individual factors. It was proposed that a group of specialists will consitute a multidisciplinary board to evaluate patients on sick leave.
Conculsion: When treating patients with cancer and determining their return to work, an individualized interdisciplinary approach is critical. The purpose of this study is to elicit oncologists' perspectives on the treatment of patients with breast cancer who are in an employment relationship, which will serve as a foundation for future research.

How to Cite

Ratoša, I., & Grašič Kuhar, C. (2022). Oncologists’ attitudes about sick leave in patients with breast cancer who are returning to work. Onkologija : A Medical-Scientific Journal, 26(1), 6–10. https://doi.org/10.25670/oi2022-001on

Issue Section

Original Scientific Article

License

Copyright (c) 2022 Ivica Ratoša, Cvetka Grašič Kuhar

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

The journal is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License CC-BY 4.0. The authors retain the copyright to their work without any restrictions whatsoever.

This journal is an open-access journal, meaning that all of its contents are freely accessible without any charge to the user or their institution. In accordance with the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) definition of open access, users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking for prior permission from the publisher or the author, provided the authors and the journal are appropriately credited.