NCT05309265

Vocational Rehabilitation for the Return to Work of Breast Cancer Patients: a Feasibility Study

Multidisciplinary Vocational Rehabilitation Intervention to Support the Return to Work of Breast Cancer Patients: a Feasibility Study

• Status: Active Not Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 16 (actual)
• Sponsor: Azienda USL Reggio Emilia - IRCCS · Other Government
• Sex: Female
• Age: 18 Years – 67 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

In Italy, 50% of new breast cancer (BC) diagnosis occur in female of working age. Although return to work (RTW) is strongly desired by BC patients, cancer survivors are more likely to be unemployed than healthy individuals. Moreover, work difficulties may hindrance this process. Since 2018, the investigators have planned a local social-healthcare pathway which provides a multidisciplinary vocational rehabilitation intervention with the aim to help cancer survivors in their RTW process. To date, the feasibility of the multidisciplinary vocational rehabilitation interventions has not been verified for BC patients.

Detailed description

BC is a public health burden with increasing trends in Western countries. In Italy, 50% of the new BC diagnosis have occurred in female of working age. Even though the return to work (RTW) is strongly desired, cancer survivors are 1.4 times more likely to be unemployed than healthy individuals. Furthermore, work difficulties may occur during this process. To promote the RTW, multidisciplinary interventions have shown moderate quality evidence in cancer survivors. Since 2018, the investigators have planned a local social-healthcare pathway which provides a multidisciplinary vocational rehabilitation intervention with the aim to help cancer survivors in their RTW process. During the implementation of the pathway, BC patients were referred mainly by the physiotherapists of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Unit (PMRU). As standard care, BC patients can participate to an educational group session held by the physiotherapists after surgery. During this session, work difficulties have emerged. Thus, the investigators aim to verify the feasibility of the multidisciplinary vocational rehabilitation intervention for a sample of BC patients whit work difficulties who will participate to an educational group session held by the physiotherapists.

Conditions

• Breast Cancer
• Breast Neoplasm

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Multidisciplinary vocational rehabilitation intervention	* Information aims to provide tailored information concerning the work law protection (this support is already provided for all patients, regardless the type of disease, and also for citizens); * Occupational therapy aims to facilitate the reintegration in the previous workplace through the development of a rehabilitation intervention to overcome work difficulties in agreement with employee, employer and occupational physician, * Social support aims to find new job opportunities (for those who have lost the employment due to the disease) through the giving of support in job search, curriculum preparation, skill analysis, professional retraining and education.

Timeline

• Start date: 2022-05-09
• Primary completion: 2025-05-09
• Completion: 2025-11-30
• First posted: 2022-04-04
• Last updated: 2025-06-13

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Italy