Feasibility of a guided workbook intervention for cancer pateints
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A feasibility study of "WorkPlan" - a guided workbook intervention to support work-related goals among cancer survivors
IRAS ID
155128
Contact name
Elizabeth Grunfeld
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Coventry University
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Over 100,000 people of working-age receive a diagnosis of cancer each year in the UK. Evidence suggests that cancer survivors are at greater risk of not working, or leaving work life early compared to healthy controls. Work post-cancer treatment is important for reasons other than financial security, as not working is associated with poorer psychological and physical outcomes. Predictors of longer time to return to work include disease and work-related factors. However, greater attention is being given to the importance of psychological factors such as negative beliefs about the consequences of cancer and beliefs about one's ability to control the effects of cancer. The WorkPlan intervention targets known psychological factors within an intervention to improve work-related outcomes among cancer survivors. This study aims to evaluate this theoretically-led intervention in a feasibility study of a randomised controlled trial with a 12 month follow-up. Undertaking a feasibility study is critical to inform the planning of a larger, fully-powered randomised controlled trial to improve work-related outcomes among cancer survivors. This study is timely and of importance given the increasing number of cancer survivors within the UK. Sixty cancer patients will be randomly assigned to one of two arms of the trial (a guided intervention or usual care). The participants will be followed-up using questionnaires and interviews over a 12 month period. The intervention is workbook based and the workbook sessions are structured to provide guidance and support to patients. Participants will be asked to complete questionnaires and interviews examining mood, beliefs about their illness, satisfaction with work and with return to work. We anticipate that a guided self-help treatment might be a valuable and cost efficient strategy that would lead to more positive beliefs about illness, quicker return to work, greater satisfaction with work and the return to work process.
REC name
West Midlands - Solihull Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/WM/0166
Date of REC Opinion
12 Jun 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion