DorlandHealth

Creating a Successful Return to Work

When an employee is off work due to an illness or injury, the ideal goal from a vocational standpoint is for that person to return to work, an objective that must be embraced by all involved parties, including the employee, employer, case manager, physician and other care providers.

A return-to-work outcome is also at the heart of motivating the worker who is ill or injured or has a disability. When handling a workers’ compensation case, particularly when the injury, illness or disability is severe, motivating employees can be challenging. The key is to help workers see that a return is possible, even in spite of a life-altering condition.

Successful return to work has a far better chance of occurring when the employee is engaged in the process. This must begin as soon as possible—and long before maximum medical improvement is achieved. As research has shown, the longer a person is off work, the less likely he will go back to the workplace. A strong link with the workplace must be preserved. Not only does the employee feel valued by the employer and colleagues, but the individual is far more likely to see that her contribution is missed. In the midst of what could be a long recovery, employees who perceive that others are committed to helping them go back to work will have a better chance of realizing that goal.

Seeing What is Possible

Rose worked in sales until her car went off the road in a rainstorm and she woke up in a hospital paralyzed. A long recuperation and intensive physical therapy followed. In time, Rose was able to go back to work and eventually had her own business. Over the years, whenever she spoke about the services she received from the vocational rehabilitation agency that handled her case, Rose recalled how a counselor had come to visit her in the hospital. Even as she struggled with the mental and emotional trauma of becoming a quadriplegic, Rose knew a vocational counselor case manager would be working on her case. When she was ready to think about her future, the counselor was there to help her explore new possibilities.

Once seen as the equivalent of a death sentence, today a diagnosis of cancer more likely means dealing with a chronic disease with exacerbations and remissions. Breakthroughs in treatment are increasing the number of survivors each year. In fact, there are now more than 12 million cancer survivors in the United States and very likely include people you know. Advances in early detection and in treatment approaches have made a difference in the more common cancers such as breast, colon and prostate cancers. However, cancer is not a single disease and some cancers remain difficult to diagnose and treat. Two well-publicized examples of late include Senator Edward Kennedy’s death from brain cancer and Patrick Swayze’s death from pancreatic cancer a relatively short time after diagnosis. While there remain significant unknowns about cancer, we do firmly appreciate today that cancer is a result of genetic mutations—some caused by environmental factors, some by random errors, and some inherited.

The most common cancers in women are breast, lung and colon cancers. For men, it is prostate, lung and colon cancer. In both women and men, most fatalities are caused by lung cancer, although the correlative numbers are waning as the smoking rate decline.

With an estimated 1.5 million new cases of cancer expected for 2009, access to and cost of cancer care are still huge concerns. The table below includes a list of organizations that assist people with financial needs. Many nurses who care for people with cancer are not specialized in cancer care, and the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) is developing educational resources for generalist nurses. Likewise, case managers benefit from understanding recent advances in cancer care and collaborating with oncology nurses. The following material highlights the current state of cancer care and future trends.