title: [Is vocational reintegration of young cancer patients possible?].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Besides an improvement in quality of life, one of the major targets of rehabilitation programmes is to preserve the ability to work and to integrate the patient into working life again. Cancer in particular is often associated with a loss of employment and joblessness, frequently caused by incomplete rehabilitation.
  
  
  METHODS
  The programme is aimed at young cancer patients aged between 18 and 40 years. In addition to medical rehabilitation, they undergo a specially developed programme which they complete in groups of no more than 5 persons. At baseline and at the end of the 3 weeks rehabilitation, tests on physical and mental capacity are conducted. During rehabilitation, different training programmes concerning mobility at work, fine motor skills and cognitive abilities are held, complemented by an intensive psycho-social training programme. Additionally, patients receive individual social counselling.
  
  
  RESULTS
  So far, 34 patients with an average age of 31.8 years have participated in the programme, 65% of them suffering from malignant haematological diseases. The combination of a medical and a vocational rehabilitation programme was judged extremely positively by the participants, which remained the case 6 months after completion of the programme. The rehabilitation programme significantly reduced work incapacity periods: at baseline, only 6% of the participants had not experienced such periods, but after 3 and 6 months, this rate had increased to 61% and 62% respectively. This was accompanied by an increased health-related quality of life and reduced fatigue.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  With our pilot project we were able to show that such a programme is feasible, can be well integrated into clinical routine and is successful.
authors.affiliation: Klinik Am Kurpork, Rehazentren Baden Württemberg.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.affiliation: Klinik Am Kurpork, Rehazentren Baden Württemberg.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kuhn
authors.affiliation: Klinik Am Kurpork, Rehazentren Baden Württemberg.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wentrock
authors.affiliation: Klinik Am Kurpork, Rehazentren Baden Württemberg.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Malitz
authors.affiliation: Klinik Am Kurpork, Rehazentren Baden Württemberg.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reuss-Borst
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005221:Fatigue / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011613:Psychotherapy; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012050:Rehabilitation, Vocational / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult