Angela de Boer

Amsterdam University Medical Center | VUmc · Department of Public and Occupational Health

Background Approximately onethird of cancer survivors encounter challenges reintegrating into the workforce, often experiencing involuntary unemployment and/or partial or full work disability following diagnosis and treatment. Returning to paid employment presents evident challenges due to uncertainties regarding work ability, perceived employer di...

Purpose To explore experiences of unemployed and/or work-disabled cancer survivors who have pursued to return to paid employment. Methods Four digital focus group interviews were conducted with 16 cancer survivors (< 10 years post-diagnosis) who have pursued to return to work within the last 2 years. Interview topics included motivations, facilita...

Background Cancer patients report that they lack support from healthcare providers when it comes to returning to or maintaining employment. In the education of general practitioners (GPs) in the Netherlands, there is little attention given to discussing work participation with patients. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate a newly developed...

Introduction Decisions to (de-)implement occupational safety and health (OSH) interventions are not always supported by the available scientific evidence. Answers are needed on how to support evidence-informed decision-making in OSH. Materials and Methods Analysis of the quality of evidence in the OSH field by 1) conducting two Cochrane systematic...

Introduction The Progressive Goal Attainment Program (PGAP) is an intervention developed in Canada aimed at decreasing limiting cognitions and perceptions and increasing work participation. During PGAP, workers participate in a maximum of 10 one-hour sessions with a PGAP coach who encourages them to resume discontinued activities. The objective of...

Introduction Cancer patients report that they lack support of healthcare providers when it comes to returning to or maintaining work. In the education of general practitioners (GPs) in the Netherlands there is little attention for discussing work with patients. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate a newly developed education program for...

Purpose Clinical work-integrating care (CWIC) refers to paying attention to work participation in a clinical setting. Working patients may benefit from CWIC. The purpose of this study is to explore the extent and nature to which medical specialists provide CWIC and what policies and guidelines oblige or recommend specialists to do. Methods A scopi...

Background MiLES is a web-based intervention targeted at managers with the aim of enhancing the successful return to work (RTW) of employees with cancer. The purpose of this study was to identify barriers to and facilitators of implementing MiLES in organizations, from a manager’s perspective. Material and Methods MiLES was implemented as a pilot...

Background: Supporting unemployed or work-disabled cancer survivors in their work participation can have extensive individual and societal benefits. We aimed to identify and summarise interventions for work participation of unemployed or work-disabled cancer survivors. Methods: Five databases (Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL and Cochrane Library)...

Objective: Cooperation between clinical and occupational health care practitioners is a key aspect of clinical work-integrating care (CWIC). This study aimed to gain insight into patients' experiences, needs, and expectations regarding cooperation between medical specialists and occupational health physicians (OHP). Methods: A thematic qualitati...

Purpose Attention to paid work in clinical health care—clinical work-integrating care (CWIC)—might be beneficial for patients of working age. However, the perceptions and expectations of patients about CWIC are unknown. The aim of this study was to develop an understanding of current practices, needs, and expectations among patients for discussing...

Introduction The number of cancer survivors in a working age is rising. An awareness of factors associated with adverse work outcomes, and of supportive interventions, is needed. Sources of data A narrative review of research obtained via several databases, including Medline and PsycINFO, was conducted. Areas of agreement A range of factors is as...

Background Managers are considered to be main stakeholders in the return to work (RTW) of cancer survivors. However, the perspectives of cancer survivors and managers differ on what managerial actions should be taken during the RTW of cancer survivors. This difference might put effective collaboration and successful RTW at risk. Therefore, this stu...

Background Cognitions and perceptions of workers with chronic health problems, such as catastrophizing thoughts and fear-avoidance beliefs, can negatively influence work participation. The Progressive Goal Attainment Program (PGAP) is an intervention developed in Canada with the aim of decreasing limiting cognitions and perceptions and increasing w...

Purpose To evaluate the effects of a training program for occupational health professionals (OHPs) on their ability to identify the cognitions and perceptions of workers with a chronic disease that may hinder work participation, and on their ability to recommend evidence-based interventions aimed at the identified cognitions and perceptions. Metho...

Background Breast cancer survivors can be at high risk of having work-related problems. Previous studies suggest that GPs could discuss work participation with cancer patients and provide guidance. The aim this study is to explore the experiences and expectations of breast cancer survivors with their GPs’ role regarding guidance on work participati...

Objectives The concept of living labs as a research method to enhance participation of end-users in the development and implementation process of an innovation, gained increasing attention over the past decade. A living lab can be characterised by five key components: user-centric, cocreation, real-life context, test innovation and open innovation....

Background In order to improve work participation of workers with a chronic disease, it is important for occupational health professionals (OHPs) to focus on those factors that can influence work participation. Cognitions and perceptions, such as recovery expectations and self-efficacy, are examples of these factors that can influence work particip...

Background: Employment is important for the quality of life and financial security of patients of working age receiving kidney replacement therapy (KRT). We aimed to examine self-reported work status and general, physical and mental work ability, and to determine associations between demographic, disease-related, work-related, and macro-economic f...

Abstract Background Employers express a need for support during sickness absence and return to work (RTW) of cancer survivors. Therefore, a web-based intervention (MiLES) targeted at employers with the objective of enhancing cancer survivors’ successful RTW has been developed. This study aimed to assess feasibility of a future definitive randomised...

Cancer survivors consider work as a key aspect of cancer survivorship while previous research indicated that cancer survivors have a higher risk of unemployment. The objectives were to assess: (1) whether colorectal cancer survivors less often have paid employment at diagnosis compared to a population-based reference group, (2) whether colorectal c...

Purpose The aim of this research was to study the effectiveness on return to work (RTW) of an early tailored work-related support intervention in patients diagnosed with curative gastrointestinal cancer. Methods A multicenter randomized controlled trial was undertaken, in which patients were assigned randomly to the intervention or the control grou...

Purpose The MiLES intervention is a web-based intervention targeted at employers with the objective of enhancing successful return to work (RTW) of cancer survivors. The aim of this study is to gain insight into the employers’ use and perceived usefulness of the MiLES intervention. Methods Employer representatives (e.g. Human Resource managers and...

Objective: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients experience problems at work resulting in work productivity loss driving indirect healthcare costs. We aimed to find determinants for work productivity loss in employed IBD patients while correcting for disease severity according to prior and active maintenance treatment. Methods: In this longi...

Workers’ health surveillance (WHS) is an important preventive activity aimed at prevention of work-related diseases. However, WHS is not regularly implemented in some EU-countries. As occupational physicians (OPs) have to play an important role in implementation of WHS, this study aimed to develop an intervention to support OPs in implementation of...

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Objectives: To investigate the association of subjective fit perceptions, distress, emotional exhaustion, and work engagement, with work functioning, among young construction project management professionals (CPMPs). Methods: The research had a cross-sectional design. Dutch young CPMPs (142 participants, age range: 20 to 30 years of age) complet...

Background Cognitions and perceptions, such as motivation and return to work (RTW) expectations, can influence work participation of employees with chronic health problems. This makes these cognitions and perceptions important factors for occupational health professionals to intervene upon in order to increase work participation. There is, however,...

*No abstract available* In their recent letter to the Editor of The Patient–Patient-Centered Outcomes Research [1], Kobayashi and colleagues reflected on our earlier paper [2], in which we described the development of the Successful Return-To-Work questionnaire for Cancer Survivors (I-RTW_CS) and assessed its construct validity and reproducibility...

Purpose: Previous research indicated that the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS®) item bank v2.0 'Ability to Participate in Social Roles and Activities' may miss subdomains of social participation. The purpose of this study was to generate items for these missing subdomains and to evaluate their content validity. Me...

Background: Work is valued as an important feature in life, however patients diagnosed with cancer can experience work-related problems. We developed a work-related support intervention to support those in need. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of the performed tailored GIRONA (Gastro Intestinal cancer patie...

Background: Accumulating evidence suggests that cancer survivors are able to return to work. However, little is known about their work situation 5 years after diagnosis. Objective: To explore fluctuations in employment status and its association with quality of life 2, 3, and 5 years after cancer diagnosis of 65 cancer survivors employed at diag...

Background Cancer survivors’ perspectives on a successful return to work (RTW) may not be captured in the common measure of RTW, namely time until RTW.Objective The purpose of this study was therefore to develop an RTW outcome measure that reflects employed cancer survivors’ perspectives, with items that could be influenced by an employer, i.e. the...

Background Work productivity (WP) loss includes absence from work (absenteeism) and productivity loss while working (presenteeism), which leads to high indirect costs in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Prior health economic analyses predominantly focused on absenteeism. Here we focus on presenteeism and assess predictors of WP loss, fatigue, and...

The objective of this study is to assess how occupational physicians (OPs) and insurance physicians (IPs) can best obtain information concerning cognitions and perceptions from employees with a chronic disease. In total, 155 OPs and 56 IPs have completed a questionnaire about obtaining information concerning these factors. In addition, focus group...

Abstract Background Employers express a need for support to facilitate the return to work (RTW) process of employees with cancer. We have developed the MiLES intervention, an online toolbox targeting employers during the RTW of employees with cancer. To evaluate the MiLES intervention, we propose the design of a pilot randomised controlled trial (R...

Work is a key contributor to quality of life and an important aspect of cancer survivorship. We call attention to current topics in cancer survivorship and work with 12 articles on cancer survivorship and work in this special section. The focus is on less studied diagnostic groups such as gastrointestinal cancer and prostate cancer, and on long-ter...

Purpose Almost half of people diagnosed with cancer are working age. Survivors have increased risk of unemployment, but little is known about long-term work retention. This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed work retention and associated factors in long-term cancer survivors. Methods We searched Medline/Pubmed, Embase, PsychINFO, and CIN...

Purpose To clarify the association between cancer diagnosis and subsequent risk of being unemployed at 10 years after diagnosis among very long-term survivors. Methods A historical cohort study using prospectively collected data was done which included baseline measurements from the Israeli national census. Only patients who were 50 years old or y...

Purpose To perform a process evaluation of a tailored work-related support intervention for patients diagnosed with gastrointestinal cancer. Methods The intervention comprised three tailored psychosocial work-related support meetings. To outline the process evaluation of this intervention, we used six key components: recruitment, context, reach, d...

Purpose The purpose of this study was to develop an intervention targeting employers, with the aim of enhancing cancer survivors’ return to work (RTW). Methods Intervention Mapping was used to combine information gathered from several procedures involving numerous stakeholders, for example, employers, cancer survivors, oncological occupational phy...

Purpose Purpose is to: (1) study effectiveness of the hospital-based work support intervention for cancer patients at two years of follow-up compared to usual care and (2) identify which early factors predict time to return-to-work (RTW). Methods In this multi-center randomised controlled trial (RCT), 106 (self-)employed cancer patients were random...

Purpose This study explored employer’s perspectives on (1) their experience of good practice related to workers diagnosed with cancer and their return to work (RTW), and (2) their perceived needs necessary to achieve good practice as reported by employers from nine separate countries. Methods Twenty-five semi-structured interviews were held in eig...

Purpose The objective of this focus group study is to assess how occupational physicians (OPs) and insurance physicians (IPs) can best obtain information concerning person-related factors from employees. The research question was: what is the most effective way for OPs and IPs to obtain information concerning person-related factors, in the opinion...

Objective: Workers' health surveillance (WHS) is an important preventive activity to prevent work-related diseases. This study aimed to get insight in the implementation of WHS by occupational physicians (OPs). Methods: A survey was conducted among 128 OPs, in which the actual implementation of WHS, OP's needs, knowledge, skills and motivation o...

Purpose To examine the associations between changes of fatigue and changes of perceived work ability in cancer survivors. Furthermore, to examine the effects of physical job demands on these associations. Methods Data from a feasibility study on a multidisciplinary intervention to enhance return to work in patients with cancer receiving chemotherap...

Purpose Implementation of return to work (RTW) programs for cancer survivors has proved to be challenging. The purpose of our study was to gather experiences about barriers to and facilitators of implementing RTW programs for cancer survivors in four European countries. Methods Separate multidisciplinary focus groups were held in Belgium (n = 8), t...

Purpose The purpose of this study was to improve the measurement of participation. Research questions were as follows: (1) What constitutes participation according to adults? (2) Do they mention participation subdomains that are not covered in the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) item bank “Ability to Participate in...

Purpose To describe: (i) patterns of self-employment and social welfare provisions for self-employed and salaried workers in several European countries; (ii) work-related outcomes after cancer in self-employed people and to compare these with the work-related outcomes of salaried survivors within each sample; and (iii) work-related outcomes for sel...

Purpose Employers are important stakeholders in the return to work (RTW) of employees with cancer. However, it is unclear what employer actions are most important to that process. The objective, therefore, was to reach consensus on what employer actions are considered most important for the RTW of employees with cancer, by employers and employees s...

Background: Long-term work maintenance among cancer survivors is important for patients, their families and society. Aims: To assess the risk of work cessation among workers at baseline in cancer survivors at 2 and 4 years after diagnosis compared with a matched cancer-free control group. Methods: Baseline measurements for this historical pros...

Purpose To identify which factors are associated with adverse work outcome 5–10 years after diagnosis. Methods In this cross-sectional study, breast cancer survivors, treated between 2003 and 2008, completed a questionnaire 5–10 years after diagnosis. Adverse work outcome was defined as not having paid employment or working > 20% less compared to...

Background With the increase of the statutory retirement age, the number of self-employed older workers will most likely increase. Therefore, this study aimed to explore: 1) the differences in self-rated health and work ability of self-employed workers and employees, 1) whether self-employment is associated with better self-rated health and work ab...

Characteristics at baseline in 2010 for self-employed and employees with missing data. (DOCX)

Purpose: Working in conditions with daily exposure to organic solvents for many years can result in a disease known as chronic solvent-induced encephalopathy (CSE). The aims for this study were to describe the neuropsychological course of CSE after first diagnosis and to detect prognostic factors for neuropsychological impairment after diagnosis....

Background Colorectal cancer is diagnosed progressively in employed patients due to screening programs and increasing retirement age. The objective of this study was to identify prognostic factors for return to work and work disability in patients with colorectal cancer. Methods The research protocol was published at PROSPERO with registration num...

Remaining potentially prognostic factors for work disability. * significant different effect. (XLSX)

Remaining potentially prognostic factors for return to work. * = significant different effect, β = regression coefficient. (XLSX)

Purpose and methods Cancer survivors have a higher risk of adverse work outcomes such as not being able to return to work (RTW). The process of returning to work is complex as a result of the diverse stakeholders and numerous factors involved related to the employee diagnosed with cancer, the work environment, health care system, and the legal syst...

Objectives: Objectives were to: (1) longitudinally assess transitions in employment status of employees with and without chronic disease; and (2) assess predictors of exit from paid employment. Methods: Transitions in employment status at 1- and 2-year follow-up were assessed in a longitudinal cohort study of employees aged 15-63 years. Generali...

Background: Employment may confound the risk of a cancer diagnosis in both directions. We hypothesized that a higher baseline rate of employment among cancer patients may explain the lack of association between a cancer diagnosis and later unemployment in many studies. Aims: To assess the unemployment rate among cancer patients before diagnosis...

Purpose: This study aims to investigate how perceived work ability, job self-efficacy, value of work, and fatigue predict return to work (RTW) in cancer patients who received chemotherapy. Methods: Data of a before-after study on a multidisciplinary intervention that aimed to enhance RTW was used, consisting of four assessments up to 18 months....

Introduction Work is important for patients diagnosed with cancer. The aim of this study is to assess the perceived importance of work and work ability shortly after diagnosis of patients with gastrointestinal cancer. Methods In a multicentre randomised controlled trial with a follow-up of twelve months, participants aged 18–63 years, diagnosed wi...

Introduction Employees with cancer experience difficulties returning to work. Employers play an essential role during return to work (RTW) of employees with cancer, but current RTW interventions pay little attention to the employer. Adequate employer support might be the missing link for successful RTW of employees with cancer. The purpose of this...

Introduction To measure Quality of Working Life (QWL) among cancer survivors, and to take account of the impact of cancer diagnosis and treatment on a cancer survivors’ working life, we developed the self-administered Quality of Working Life Questionnaire for Cancer Survivors (QWLQ-CS). QWL is an important predictor of work continuation. This study...

Introduction To support return to work among cancer patients, a multidisciplinary rehabilitation program was developed which combined occupational counselling with a supervised physical exercise program during chemotherapy. Aim was to investigate return to work (RTW) rates of cancer patients and to evaluate changes in work-related, quality of life...

Introduction Employees with cancer consider return to work (RTW) a key aspect of cancer survivorship. Employers are in the position to guide employees with cancer, but also express a need for support. The objective of this study is therefore to identify employer-related barriers and facilitators for work participation of employees with cancer, from...