Health Care Professionals and the Employment-Related Needs of Cancer Survivors

Introduction Individuals diagnosed with cancer look to health care professionals as primary sources of information. This positions staff in oncology settings in an ideal role to inform patients, who continue workforce participation in increasing numbers, about resources that might help them to handle work-related issues related to their oncological symptoms. This article reports on findings from a survey of staff that provide nonmedical services to cancer patients in two Houston area hospital systems. The impetus for this survey was two-fold: the trend in recent years for increasing numbers of cancer survivors to stay in the workforce after or even during treatment, and low levels of awareness that these employees are eligible for protection under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and its 2008 amendments (ADA Amendments Act of 2008, Pub. L. 110–325, 122 Stat. 3553, 2008; Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. § 12111-17, 2006). The survey assesses perceptions of the effects of cancer on patients’ employment status, levels of knowledge about supports to address these employment-related needs, and respondents’ preferred modes for information receipt. The latter topic serves the purpose of tailoring training activities to the respondents’ informational needs and learning preferences. Methods Data were collected via an online survey administered in two Houston-area hospital systems. This article reports on the findings from 86 respondents. Results Tenure as measured by years in oncology is related positively to level of knowledge about disability-related benefits, legislation and programs (r = .32, P < .01). Respondents with more years in their profession worked with patients whom they reported had a higher number of cancer side effects that “created work difficulties for patients” (r = .24, P < .05). The number of side effects was in turn positively associated with negative effects of the diagnosis at work (r = .27, P < .05). A higher score of negative effects of the cancer diagnosis at work in turn correlated with unwanted consequences of disclosing the cancer at work (r = .36, P < .01). No statistically significant correlations were observed among the variables measuring respondents’ reported knowledge of disability-related benefits, laws and programs, their perception of patients’ level of understanding of these topics, and reports of patients’ receipt of reasonable accommodation. Conclusions Health care professionals who treat cancer patients could benefit from training resources about how survivors might address their employment-related needs, including how to convey that knowledge to their patients. Mentoring programs might also have positive outcomes, since respondents with greater tenure in oncology-related settings reported higher levels of knowledge about disability-related topics.