Program improves return-to-work outcomes for cancer survivors

A digital health program by CancerAid and AIA Australia has demonstrated improved return-to-work outcomes for cancer survivors.

The CancerAid Coach Program consists of an online e-health app, a series of weekly messages, via email and text, and telephone health coaching sessions delivered over a 12-week period. It takes a holistic view and reinforces key health messages on appropriate symptom tracking, exercise, diet, mindfulness and sleep strategies, and allows patients to monitor their condition.

Approximately 45% of cancer diagnoses in Australia occur in people of working age, but fortunately, due to improvements in medicine, survivorship is increasing. While a person may recover from cancer, they may experience physical and/or psychological challenges which can hinder their return to work and wellbeing. Sharing a passion for supporting Australians to thrive after a cancer diagnosis, the study conducted by CancerAid and AIA Australia over three years found: 30.4% of participants in the CancerAid Coach Program returned to work over a median 12-month period, compared to 17.6% in the control group — this outcome means patients in the program were 73% more likely to return to work; and 39% of patients in the program reported improvement of their symptoms.

The program has also demonstrated a shortening in the time to return to work by 22%, which means that patients were returning to work on average 16.5 weeks earlier than patients receiving usual care.

In a clinical setting, the focus of medical practitioners is traditionally on helping patients overcome the illness. After recovering from cancer, patients may take months or years to commence any return-to-work attempts while they wait for improvement of any existing symptoms. Unfortunately, this can make it harder for a person to reach their pre-illness work capacity.

Interventions such as the CancerAid Coach program, when introduced at an early stage in a patient’s recovery and combined with existing follow-up care, can change this narrative, and they can lead to improved financial, physical and mental wellbeing as well as an improved quality of life.

Professor Michael Boyer AM, a medical oncologist at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse said the issue of post-cancer care is becoming an ever more important concept.

“Survivorship following a cancer diagnosis is an important clinical metric; specifically, return to work has been demonstrated to improve patient quality of life, feeling or a return to normalcy as well as reducing any financial implications. As we improve survival outcomes with modern treatment, we are pleased to publish research to demonstrate an intervention to improve return-to-work outcomes,” said Professor Boyer, who contributed data analysis to the research paper in his private role as a Cancer Aid advisor.

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