Clinical trial NCT05309265: Vocational Rehabilitation for the Return to Work of Breast Cancer Patients: a Feasibility Study
Official title: Multidisciplinary Vocational Rehabilitation Intervention to Support the Return to Work of Breast Cancer Patients: a Feasibility Study
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
Phase: NA
Conditions: Breast Cancer
Breast Neoplasm
Keywords: Cancer Survivors
Return to work
Vocational Rehabilitation
Occupational Therapy
Lead sponsor: Azienda USL Reggio Emilia - IRCCS
Sponsor class: OTHER_GOV
First posted: 2022-04-04
Enrollment: 16
Sex: FEMALE
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 67
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: NA
Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose: OTHER

Brief 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.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* breast cancer diagnosis (regardless of stage and treatment)
* breast cancer patients in working age
* breast cancer patient who will participate to an educational group session held by the physiotherapists of the PMRU
* breast cancer patients with work difficulties

Exclusion Criteria:

* Breast cancer patients with work issues that cannot be addressed by any of the interventions (e.g., patients who would like to change their job)

Primary outcomes:
measure: interception
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: acceptation
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: adherence
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: lost to follow-up
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: satisfaction rate
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: RTW/work continuation
timeFrame: 12 months
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Reggio Emilia
country: Italy
facility: Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale Reggio Emilia
Study officials:
affiliation: Azienda USL Reggio Emilia - IRCCS
name: Sara Paltrinieri, Msc OT
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: