%0 Journal Article
%@ 2369-1999
%I JMIR Publications
%V 7
%N 4
%P e31966
%T A Digital Coaching Intervention for Cancer Survivors With Job Loss: Retrospective Study
%A Lo,Jonathon
%A Ballurkar,Kieran
%A Fox,Simonie
%A Tynan,Kate
%A Luu,Nghiep
%A Boyer,Michael
%A Murali-Ganesh,Raghav
%+ Faculty of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Grattan Street, Parkville, Melbourne, 3010, Australia, 61 400090532, lo.jonathon@gmail.com
%K cancer survivors
%K employment
%K absenteeism
%K mobile app
%K software
%K return to work
%D 2021
%7 23.11.2021
%9 Original Paper
%J JMIR Cancer
%G English
%X Background: Returning to work is a key unmet need for working-age cancer survivors. Objective: This study sought to evaluate return-to-work outcomes of a multidisciplinary intervention provided as routine employee support. Methods: In a retrospective cohort analysis, patients with cancer and more than 3 months of absence from work were provided with an intervention consisting of digital resources and calls with a health coach. Propensity score matching was used to define a similar cohort of cancer patients absent from work, who were not offered the coaching intervention. The return-to-work rate as a percentage of all participants and secondary outcomes, such as the rate of death, were measured. The median time to return to work was compared between the cohorts using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: A total of 220 participants were enrolled in the intervention, of which 125 met the criteria for analysis. The median follow-up from cancer diagnosis was 79 weeks (IQR 60-106 weeks). In the matched control group, 22 (17.6%) participants returned to work compared with 38 (30.4%) in the intervention group (P=.02). Additionally, 19 (15.2%) matched controls died prior to claim closure compared with 13 (10.4%) in the intervention group (P=.26). The Kaplan-Meier estimated median time for the first 15% of the cohort to return to work was 87.1 weeks (95% CI 60.0-109.1 weeks) for the matched control group compared with 70.6 weeks (95% CI 52.6-79.6 weeks; P=.08) for the intervention group. Conclusions: Patients receiving a remotely delivered coaching program in a real-world setting returned to work at a higher frequency than did control participants receiving usual care. 
%M 34710853
%R 10.2196/31966
%U https://cancer.jmir.org/2021/4/e31966
%U https://doi.org/10.2196/31966
%U http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34710853