갑상선암 환자의 수술 후 직업 변화 및 휴직 기간과 관련된 요인

• Published in: International Journal of Thyroidology Vol. 12; no. 2; pp. 113 - 119
• Main Authors: 박경아, Kyung Ah Park, 오영자, Young Ja Oh, 추상희, Sang Hui Chu, 이용상, Yong Sang Lee, 장항석, Hang-seok Chang, 박정수, Cheong Soo Park
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Korean
• Published: 대한갑상선학회 30.11.2019
• Subjects: Occupation; Return to work; Sick leave; Thyroid cancer; 갑상선암; 병가; 의학일반; 직업; 휴직
• ISSN: 2384-3799; 2466-1899
• DOI: 10.11106/ijt.2019.12.2.113

Background and Objectives: Most thyroid cancers progress slowly, have high survival rates, and have good prognosis. Therefore, the management of patients with thyroid cancer should be viewed from a long-term perspective, taking into account a return to normal social life. Cancer patients have a higher risk of unemployment than the general population, and so unemployment can be an economic problem for thyroid cancer patients. However, there have been few studies on factors affecting return to work in thyroid cancer patients. The purpose of this study is to investigate occupational changes and the period of leave of absence for patients with thyroid cancer and to identify factors that affect the return to work after surgery. Materials and Methods: A total of 427 questionnaires of thyroid cancer patients were used for the analysis. The occupational changes and sick leave periods were analyzed according to general characteristics, disease-related characteristics, and side effects. Results: The factors related to occupational change and leave of absence in thyroid cancer patients were sex and type of occupation. Women had more occupational changes and longer leave of absence than men, office workers had the least change in occupation, and professional workers had a longer period of sick leave. Fatigue was the primary side effect that affected the leave of absence. Conclusion: Occupation is very important in the life of a thyroid cancer patient. Informing the patient of possible complications and planning proper leave of absence will help the patient return to work and improve the quality of life.