Clinical Trial Details
— Status: Completed
Administrative data
| NCT number |
NCT02057185 |
| Other study ID # |
EMATO 0113 |
| Secondary ID |
|
| Status |
Completed |
| Phase |
|
| First received |
|
| Last updated |
|
| Start date |
September 8, 2014 |
| Est. completion date |
November 11, 2015 |
Study information
| Verified date |
October 2020 |
| Source |
Gruppo Italiano Malattie EMatologiche dell'Adulto |
| Contact |
n/a |
| Is FDA regulated |
No |
| Health authority |
|
| Study type |
Observational
|
Clinical Trial Summary
Diseases do not only have a physical role in people's live, but they usually involve changes
in life as whole. They may modify the structure of the conjunction with life setting, thus,
deeply impacting relationships with others. While clinical results of new therapies for
hematological diseases are well documented in scientific literature in terms of prolonged
life expectancy or remission from disease, less is known about problems and barriers
preventing the return of patients with a chronic blood ailment to everyday life.
Indeed, there are no published data on this topic within the Italian context. The present
explorative study aims at identifying the main problems with which patients affected by a
Chronic Hematological Disease (CHD) deal when returning to everyday working life, factors
associated with work reintegration and, finally, to understand the need for facilitators
enhancing reintegration outcomes.
Results from this study will be also helpful to raise consciousness about the problem of
reintegration into the labour market of workers with CHD and to call for awareness campaigns
for the general public and health professionals.
Description:
A disease doesn't have only a physical side but usually involves changes in the person as
whole. It changes the structure of the relationship between a person and his life setting,
deeply impacting the way her/he relates to others and to himself. While clinical results of
new therapies about hematological pathologies are well documented in scientific literature in
terms of prolonged life expectancy or remission from disease, less is known about problems
and barriers preventing the return of patients with a chronic blood ailment to everyday life.
A number of economists have argued that there is a causal link between increasing inequality
and the financial crisis. Evidence from different EU Member States shows that people who
declare themselves as being permanently disabled are over-represented among people at risk of
poverty or social exclusion compared to the whole population.
In Italy, in the second quarter of 2011, 6 million 556 thousand people aged 15-64 years
(16.5% of the population of this age group) claimed to be suffering from one or more
longstanding health problems or functional difficulties.
Health problems represent a barrier to the inclusion in the labour market. More than 50% of
those suffering from more than one health problem or functional difficulties is inactive,
this share decreases significantly among those who complain about one problem or difficulty
(39.9%) and no problem (35.5%).
Among persons employed who complain of poor health conditions, about one in 10 may rely on
one or more types of assistance in their place of work: availability of special equipment or
workplace adaptations, personal service, special working arrangements. Among people who do
not have a job, however, more than a quarter (26.6%) would need to receive at least one type
of assistance in order to work.
People with long-term illnesses have an higher probability of leaving the workforce at an
early age and people who continue to work despite health problems are likely to be less
productive than healthy people. Thus, without a timely and appropriate reintegration, they
may be less likely to return to work.
In this scenario it's of utmost importance to increase the overall capability to deliver
targeted actions in order to be able to support people at risk of social -work exclusion.
Policy instruments being able to provide access to the labour market also play an important
role, as well as measures in favor of education. Studies have shown several benefits
associated with returning to work after cancer, including addressing financial needs,
providing a distraction and an overall improvement in quality of life. Health professionals
advice and support and the role of the employers in providing a sound workplace accommodation
may play an important role in this regard but, on the other hand, a number of studies show an
association between cancer survivorship and risk of unemployment.
The impact of returning to work after (or during) a long-term illness must be evaluated also
from the perspective of the family and of the community. It could be very hard for partners
and other relatives to conciliate their work duties with the task of taking care of the sick
person - in terms of time and of mental strain. While laws usually allow for a number of
measures to ease this issue, more information is often needed to workers and to employers.
The cost of a sick worker, from the viewpoint of the community, includes not only the cost of
health care and rehabilitation but also the lost productivity of those who quit work and the
cost linked to the possible impoverishment of the worker and her/his family for the years to
come.
At present time there are no published studies that investigated these issues in patients
with hematological malignancies in the Italian context. This explorative study aims at
identifying the main problems that patients of Chronic Hematological Disease (CHD) deal when
returning to everyday working life, factors associated with job reintegration and to
understand the need for facilitators enhancing reintegration outcomes.
Results from this study will be also helpful in the effort of raising consciousness about the
problem of reintegration in the labour market of workers with CHD and to call for awareness
campaigns for the general public and health professionals.
