Return to Work after Heart Transplantation: The New Zealand Experience

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• 作者：C.B. Samaranayake ; P.N. Ruygrok ; C.A. Wasywich ; A. Coverdale
• 刊名：The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation
• 出版年：2013
• 出版时间：April, 2013
• 年：2013
• 卷：32
• 期：4_supp_S
• 页码：S198
• 全文大小：90 K

文摘

Purpose

Return to work and social re-integration following heart transplantation is a significant objective and challenge for patients, their families and clinicians. The aim of this study was to assess current employment rates and factors associated with return to work in New Zealand recipients.

Methods and Materials

Details of demographics, employment prior to and after transplantation were obtained for all patients, alive in July 2012, who underwent heart transplantation in the 10 years from June 2001 to June 2011.

Results

Eighty-seven patients were eligible for inclusion - median age 52 years (range 15-75) and 20.8 % were female. At review 51 (58.6 % ) were in paid employment, 5.7 % students, 13.8 % retired and 11.5 % homemakers or not working due to lifestyle choice. Two (2.3 % ) patients were too unwell to work. Seven (8.0 % ) patients were on an unemployment benefit. Of those working prior to surgery, 88.9 % returned to work after a median of 8.5 months (range 2-52), and 70.6 % remained employed at a median of 77 months (range 13-113) after transplantation. There was a moderate correlation between the time of stopping work prior to and return to work after transplantation (r=0.50, p=0.01). Most (84.1 % ) patients returned to the same type of work after transplantation. There was no correlation between age at the time of transplant and return to work following. A significant proportion of women were homemakers (31.6 % vs 5.9 % males, p<0.01), and more females were in clerical and administrative occupations (21.1 % vs 1.5 % males, p<0.01). Only male patients were in the unemployed category. Less Caucasian patients were unemployed compared to other ethnicities (p<0.05).

Conclusions

The rate of return to work after heart transplantation in New Zealand is relatively high compared to international data, with rates of employment and unemployment similar to the overall rates for the general population. Discussions regarding return to work early in the transplantation assessment process and actively assisting patients to seek employment after transplantation may enhance employment rates.