title: [Evaluation of a Vocationally Oriented Concept within Inpatient Oncological Rehabilitation].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We evaluated an occupation-related rehabilitation program, which has been designed to enhance the return to work of cancer patients. As return to work plays an important role to get back to normalcy after suffering from cancer, there is a substantial need for support and evaluated programs.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study had a quasi-experimental design with an intervention group (IG) and a comparison group (CG). We defined performance-related outcomes (e. g. return to work, self-assessed working capacity), asked patients if they needed further vocational advice and how helpful they estimated the rehabilitation treatment. 1 year after the end of rehabilitation 309 employed patients had completed the study (65%). We addressed our research questions using non-parametric tests, t-tests, analyses of variance and logistic regressions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 309 patients 58% started rehabilitation not later than 14 days after the end of acute treatment while the other 42% had finished their treatments at least some weeks or even months ago. Patients of the IG evaluated the work-related rehabilitation offers significantly better and needed less additional vocational advice after the end of rehabilitation (n. s.). Regarding the patients, who started rehabilitation not later than 14 days after the end of acute treatment (beginning of rehabilitation n=269, 12 months after rehabilitation n=174), the IG achieved a slightly higher return-to-work-rate 12 months after the end of rehabilitation (81% IG, 76% CG, n. s.). Above that the IG estimated their subjective working capacity significantly more often as fully re-established (IG 46%; CG 29%, p=0,030).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A high percentage of the patients return to work (78%). These results show the success of oncological rehabilitation in helping patients to return to work. In addition, the occupation-related rehabilitation program enhances subjective variables as the satisfaction of the patients regarding the information and the improvement of the patients' working-capacity.
authors.affiliation: Institut und Poliklinik für Medizinische Psychologie, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf.
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Böttcher
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Steimann
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ullrich
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rotsch
authors.forename: K-H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Zurborn
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bergelt
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008495:Medical Oncology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012050:Rehabilitation, Vocational / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D062707:Return to Work / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014478:Unemployment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014938:Work Capacity Evaluation