Working after cancer: in-depth perspectives from a setting with limited employment protection policies
- PDF / 232,259 Bytes
- 7 Pages / 595.276 x 790.866 pts Page_size
- 93 Downloads / 156 Views
Working after cancer: in-depth perspectives from a setting with limited employment protection policies Yek-Ching Kong 1 & Negina Rauf 1,2 & Shridevi Subramaniam 3 & Ros Suzanna Bustamam 4 & Li-Ping Wong 1 & Gwo-Fuang Ho 5 & Hafizah Zaharah 6 & Matin Mellor 7 & Cheng-Har Yip 7 & Nirmala Bhoo-Pathy 1 Received: 14 September 2020 / Accepted: 18 October 2020 # Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Purpose A considerable proportion of individuals who are diagnosed with cancer are at a working age. We aimed to gain an indepth understanding of the challenges, and arising needs related to working after cancer in a setting with limited employment protection policies. Methods Focus group discussions were conducted with cancer patients who were diagnosed at least 1 year prior to recruitment, and either had paid work, were self-employed, currently unemployed, or currently retired (N = 66). Results Three main themes were identified: (1) loss of income: While some participants were entitled for a 1-year cancer-specific sick leave, many other participants recounted having insufficient paid sick leave, forcing them to take prolonged unpaid leave to complete treatment; (2) dealing with side effects of cancer and its treatment: The need for workplace accommodations was highlighted including flexible working hours, lighter workloads, and dedicated rest areas to enable patients to cope better; (3) Discrimination and stigma at workplace: Some participants mentioned being passed over on a promotion, getting demoted, or being forced to resign once their cancer diagnosis was disclosed, highlighting an urgent need to destigmatize cancer in the workplace. Conclusion In settings with limited employment protection policies, a cancer diagnosis severely impacts the working experiences of patients, leading to financial loss. Urgent interventions and legislative reforms are needed in these settings to address the unmet employment needs of cancer survivors. Implications for Cancer Survivors This study may facilitate planning of local solutions to fulfill the unmet employment needs following cancer, such as return-to-work navigation services. Keywords Cancer . Survivorship . Supportive care . Return to work . Employment
* Nirmala Bhoo-Pathy [email protected]; [email protected] 1
Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence-Based Practice, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Lembah Pantai, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2
Erasmus University Medical Centre, 3015 Rotterdam, GD, Netherlands
3
Centre of Clinical Epidemiology, Institute of Clinical Research, National Institutes of Health (NIH), 40170 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
4
Department of Radiotherapy and Oncology, Kuala Lumpur Hospital, 50586 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
5
Department of Clinical Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
6
Department of Radiotherapy and Oncology, National Cancer Institute, 62250 Putrajaya, Malaysia
7
Subang Jaya Medical Cent
Data Loading...
