Sietske J Tamminga

Amsterdam University Medical Center - location AMC · Coronel Institute of Occupational Health

Purposes Healthcare workers are at risk of stress-related disorders. Risk communication can be an effective preventive health measure for some health risks, but is not yet common in the prevention of stress-related disorders in an occupational healthcare setting. The overall aim is to examine whether risk communication was part of interventions aim...

Objective – To examine patient activation from the start of stroke rehabilitation and its course up until the 6 month follow-up. Design – Inception cohort study with a follow-up of 6 months. Setting – Multidisciplinary rehabilitation facility. Participants – 478 stroke patients who received inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation with a median ag...

Background International consensus is needed on case definitions of work-related musculoskeletal disorders and diseases (MSDs) for use in epidemiological research. We aim to: 1) study what information is needed for the case definition of work-related low back pain (LBP), lumbosacral radicular syndrome (LRS), subacromial pain syndrome (SAPS), carpal...

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 contro...

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 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: To estimate societal costs and changes in health-related quality of life in stroke patients, up to one year after start of medical specialist rehabilitation. Design: Observational. Patients: Consecutive patients who received medical specialist rehabilitation in the Stroke Cohort Outcomes of REhabilitation (SCORE) study. Methods: P...

Background The aim of this study was to identify case definitions of diagnostic criteria for specific musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) for use in occupational healthcare, surveillance or research. Methods A scoping review was performed in Medline and Web of Science from 2000 to 2020 by an international team of researchers and clinicians, using the...

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Objective: To compare the effect on disability and quality of life, of conventional rehabilitation (control group) with individualized, tailored eRehabilitation intervention alongside conventional rehabilitation (Fast@home; intervention group), for people with stroke. Methods: Pre-post design. The intervention comprised cognitive (Braingymmer®)...

*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: One of the main aims of rehabilitation is to improve participation. Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS®) item banks 'Ability to Participate in Social roles and Activities, (PROMIS-APS) and 'Satisfaction with Social Roles and Activities' (PROMIS-SPS) are promising options to measure participation, but the l...

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...

Health interventions often do not reach blue-collar workers. Citizen science engages target groups in the design and execution of health interventions, but has not yet been applied in an occupational setting. This preliminary study determines barriers and facilitators and feasible elements for citizen science to improve the health of blue-collar wo...

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: 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 (RCT). Th...

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 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...

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 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 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 This qualitative study aimed to identify hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) survivors’ (1) work perceptions; (2) barriers to and facilitators of return to work (RTW); and (3) possible solutions to improve RTW. Method Fifteen patients treated with HSCT 1–5 years ago participated in face-to-face semi-structured interviews. Interv...

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 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...

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...

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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...

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

To assess the responsiveness and interpretability of the Quality of Working Life Questionnaire for Cancer Survivors (QWLQ‐CS). A cohort study was conducted in which 130 (self‐)employed cancer survivors completed the QWLQ‐CS at baseline and 107 at follow‐up and six single‐item external anchors to measure change. Cancer survivors were diagnosed betwe...

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...

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 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...

Introduction Previous research on employees with a chronic disease, including employees who have been diagnosed and treated for cancer, mainly focused on work outcomes such as absence from work, productivity and unemployment. It has been seldom taken into account how employees with a chronic disease experience their working life and how they value...

Objective: To identify employer-related barriers and facilitators for work participation of cancer survivors from the perspective of both employers and cancer survivors, and to synthesise these perceived barriers and facilitators to understand their perceived consequences. Methods: A systematic review of qualitative studies focusing on employers...

Background: To assess the factorial structure, internal consistency, construct validity and reproducibility of the Quality of Working Life Questionnaire for Cancer Survivors (QWLQ-CS). Methods: An Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was performed on QWLQ-CS data from a sample of employed cancer survivors to establish the final number of items and...

Purpose: Remaining in paid work is of great importance for cancer survivors, and employers play a crucial role in achieving this. Return to work (RTW) is best seen as a process. This study aims to provide insight into (1) Dutch employers' experiences with RTW of employees with cancer and (2) the employers' needs for support regarding this process....

Purpose: This study aimed to (1) describe the Quality of Working Life (QWL) of cancer survivors and (2) explore associations between the QWL of cancer survivors and health- and work-related variables. Methods: Employed and self-employed cancer survivors were recruited through hospitals and patient organizations. They completed the Quality of Wor...

Doel van dit onderzoek is te inventariseren tegen welke problemen in het werk werknemer en werkgever aanlopen wanneer een werknemer kanker krijgt. Daarnaast te onderzoeken welke oplossing zij gekozen hebben en waar werknemer en werkgever (specifiek) behoefte aan hebben. In het onderzoek is een literatuurstudie gedaan en zijn focusgroepen met werkne...

Om werkhervatting en/of behoud van werk te bevorderen onder mensen die een diagnose kanker hebben (gehad) is er onderzoek gedaan naar hun ervaringen en beleving van de werksituatie, oftewel hun kwaliteit van werken. De kwaliteit van werken van werkenden die een diagnose kanker hebben (gehad) is beschreven en geëvalueerd met een nieuw ontwikkeld mee...

Purpose: This exploratory and descriptive study contributes to the growing knowledge about the return-to-work (RTW) experience of head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors. Viewing RTW as a process, participants were asked to consider the work-related experience with HNC at different phases: (1) at diagnosis/pre-treatment, (2) working during treatment (...

Background Although the importance of work for patients with cancer is nowadays more acknowledged both in the literature as well as in cancer survivorship care, effective interventions targeting the return to work of these patients are still scarce. Therefore, we developed a nurse-led, stepped-care, e-health intervention aimed at enhancing the retu...

Background: It is important to enhance the return to work of cancer survivors with an appropriate intervention, as cancer survivors experience problems upon their return to work but consider it an essential part of their recovery. Objective: The objective of our study was to develop an eHealth intervention to enhance the return to work of cancer...

Background Returning to and continuing work is important to many cancer survivors, but also represents a challenge. We know little about subjective work outcomes and how cancer survivors perceive being returned to work. Therefore, we developed the Quality of Working Life Questionnaire for Cancer Survivors (QWLQ-CS). Our aim was to pre-test the item...

Purpose The purpose of this exploratory and descriptive study is to contribute to the sparse return-towork literature on head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors. Interview participants were asked to reflect upon their work-related experience with cancer by answering two specific questions: (1) What advice would you give someone who has been newly diag...

Purpose: To obtain insight into employment and insurance outcomes of thyroid cancer survivors and to examine the association between not having employment and other factors including quality of life. Methods: In this cross-sectional population-based study, long-term thyroid cancer survivors from the Netherlands participated. Clinical data were c...

Purpose The aim of this study was to generate, and select quality of working life issues for the development of an initial version of the Quality of Working Life Questionnaire for Cancer Survivors (QWLQ-CS). Methods Quality of working life issues were generated through focus groups with cancer survivors and oncological occupational physicians, and...

Purpose: To assess issues that contribute to the Quality of Working Life (QWL) of employees with a chronic physical disease. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted using the databases PubMed, PsycINFO and EMBASE. Experiences and perceptions during the working life of employees with a chronic physical disease were extracted and syn...

The purpose of this case study was to describe how the return-to-work process evolved in an employee with cancer in the Netherlands and how a work-directed intervention supported this process. The patient was a 35-year old female employee diagnosed with cervix carcinoma. After surgery, the patient experienced depression, fatigue, fear of recurrence...

The purpose of this study was to determine reproducibility, validity, and responsiveness of the Work Limitations Questionnaire (WLQ) among cancer survivors. A cohort of 53 cancer survivors completed the WLQ and other questionnaires at baseline, 4-week, and 6-month follow-up. We assessed internal consistency, intraclass correlation coefficient, stan...

One key aspect of cancer survivorship is return-to-work. Unfortunately, many cancer survivors face problems upon their return-to-work. For that reason, we developed a hospital-based work support intervention aimed at enhancing return-to-work. We studied effectiveness of the intervention compared to usual care for female cancer patients in a multi-c...

Purpose: To perform a process evaluation of a hospital-based work support intervention for cancer patients aimed at enhancing return to work and quality of life. The intervention involves the delivery of patient education and support at the hospital and involves the improvement of the communication between the treating physician and the occupation...

Sietske Tamminga onderzocht hoe de arbeidsparticipatie van mensen met kanker kan worden geoptimaliseerd. Daartoe ontwikkelde zij een interventie die is getoetst op toepasbaarheid en effectiviteit. De interventie blijkt goed uitvoerbaar in de psychosociale oncologische zorg. Patiënten en uitvoerders zijn tevreden. Bijna de helft van het aantal patië...

Accumulating evidence suggests that most employed breast cancer survivors are able to return to work but often experience difficulties in the process. The objective of this study was to identify: (i) factors experienced as barriers to and facilitators of the return-to-work (RTW) process, (ii) which factors were important during initial and post RTW...

Cancer survivors are 1.4 times more likely to be unemployed than healthy people. It is therefore important to provide cancer patients with programmes to support the return-to-work process. To evaluate the effectiveness of interventions aimed at enhancing return-to-work in cancer patients. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Tria...

The purpose of this study was to review the literature on the content of interventions focusing on return to work, employment status, or work retention in patients with cancer. Furthermore, the effect of the interventions on return to work was assessed in studies reporting return to work. A literature search was conducted using the databases MEDLIN...

Compared to healthy controls, cancer patients have a higher risk of unemployment, which has negative social and economic impacts on the patients and on society at large. Therefore, return-to-work of cancer patients needs to be improved by way of an intervention. The objective is to describe the development and content of a work-directed interventio...

Abstract Background Compared to healthy controls, cancer patients have a higher risk of unemployment, which has negative social and economic impacts on the patients and on society at large. Therefore, return-to-work of cancer patients needs to be improved by way of an intervention. The objective is to describe the development and content of a wor...

Dit artikel beschrijft de ontwikkeling van een implementatieprogramma van het verzekeringsgeneeskundig protocol Depressie. Gebruik van het protocol zal moeten leiden tot een meer transparante en uniforme beoordeling van depressieve cliënten. Bij de ontwikkeling van het implementatieprogramma is Intervention Mapping als methode gebruikt om aan te sl...