title: Professional and social activity of patients after heart transplant.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study is to describe both professional and social activities of patients after heart transplant.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-five heart transplant patients treated at the Silesian Center for Heart Diseases in Zabrze were surveyed, comprising 29 women (30.5%) and 66 men (69.5%). The average age of respondents was 54.3 years old (standard deviation (SD) = 15 years); the average period that had elapsed since the heart transplant was 7.1 years (SD = 4 years). We designed a questionnaire as a tool for collecting information from patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-five percent of patients worked at the time of completion of the questionnaire. Eighty percent of those patients were working before and after the transplant, 20%--only after transplantation (p < 0.05). A different job position at a new workplace had 47.8% of patients, 34.8% of them had the same job position at the same work place as they had had before, 63.4% of the heart transplant respondents were pensioners. Eighty-two percent of patients had a certificate with a designated degree of disability--among them: 69% had a certificate for a significant degree of disability, 22%--for a moderate degree of disability. Among those surveyed, 52.5% said that their financial situation had not changed whereas 34.5% of those surveyed reported a change for the worse. Thirty-seven percent of respondents reported changes in family relationships. Seventy-seven percent reported that they received help from family members, as compared with 19% who did not.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Only 25.3% of the patients treated at the Silesian Centre for Heart Diseases after heart transplant are employed and it is one of the lowest employment rates in this category of patients in Europe. One third of working patients have the same work place as they had before their operation. Heart transplant is a cause of changes in family relationships. Most often family bonds are strengthened but sometimes family members become nervous, impatient and unwilling to talk about the transplant.
authors.affiliation: Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Zabrze, Poland (School of Medicine with the Division of Dentistry in Zabrze, Chair and Department of Medicine and Environmental Epidemiology). umarcinkowska@interia.pl.
authors.forename: Urszula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Marcinkowska
authors.affiliation: Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Zabrze, Poland (School of Medicine with the Division of Dentistry in Zabrze, Chair and Department of Medicine and Environmental Epidemiology).
authors.forename: Karol
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kukowka
authors.affiliation: Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Zabrze, Poland (School of Medicine with the Division of Dentistry in Zabrze, Chair and Department of Medicine and Environmental Epidemiology).
authors.forename: Michał
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gałeczka
authors.affiliation: Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Tarnowskie Góry, Poland (School of Medicine with the Division of Dentistry in Zabrze, Chair and Clinical Ward of Psychiatry).
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pudlo
authors.affiliation: Silesian Centre for Heart Disease, Zabrze, Poland (Chair and Clinical Department of Cardiac Surgery and Transplantology).
authors.forename: Michał
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zakliczyński
authors.affiliation: Silesian Centre for Heart Disease, Zabrze, Poland (Chair and Clinical Department of Cardiac Surgery and Transplantology).
authors.forename: Marian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zembala
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004651:Employment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017132:Workplace / Q000458:organization & administration*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: employment; family; heart transplant; social activity; work