Employment after lung transplantation in Poland – a single center study

• Authors: Marek Ochman , Magdalena Latos , Gabriela Orzeł , Paulina Pałka , Maciej Urlik , Mirosław Nęcki , Tomasz Stącel , Marian Zembala

Abstracts

EN

Objectives Lung transplantation not only saves a patient’s life but also creates the opportunity for becoming more self-reliant and getting back to work. The aim of this single center study was to assess the prospects of employment, as well as its influence on the quality of life and physical activity, of the lung transplant recipients of the Silesian Center for Heart Diseases in Zabrze, Poland. Material and Methods A retrospective study covered 67 lung transplant recipients of the Silesian Center of Heart Diseases. Only patients with ≥ 6-month follow-up were included. All of the patients gave their written consent to be included in the study before filling out the questionnaire containing questions about employment, income, education and how work affected their quality of life before and after lung transplantation. A physical capability assessment was performed by climbing flights of stairs and by means of a 6-min walk test, and spirometry parameters were also measured. Results Twenty of the patients included in the study (31.7%) were employed after lung transplantation, 63.2% of whom worked full-time. Profession was changed by 2 patients (14.3%). The patients diagnosed with cystic fibrosis were found to have the highest chance of finding employment after lung transplantation. The statistical analysis revealed that the employed patients were able to cover longer distances during the 6-min walk test (556 m, on average) than the unemployed ones (494 m, on average). Conclusions One in 3 patients finds employment after lung transplantation. Work improves the quality of life of the majority of lung transplant recipients. The patients who are employed are also in a better physical condition, and they are more self-reliant in comparison to those who remain unemployed. Lung transplant recipients with cystic fibrosis are most likely to find employment, and so are patients with higher education. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2019;32(3):379–86

Keywords

EN

occupational medicine; cystic fibrosis; lung transplantation; solid organ transplantation; employment in Poland; employment after transplantation

• Publisher: Instytut Medycyny Pracy im. prof. dra Jerzego Nofera w Łodzi
• Journal: International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health
• Year: 2019
• Volume: 32
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 379-386

Dates

published

2019

Contributors

author

Marek Ochman

• Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Zabrze, Poland (Silesian Center for Heart Diseases, Department of Cardiac, Vascular and Endovascular Surgery and Transplantology)
• Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Zabrze, Poland (Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine with the Division of Dentistry in Zabrze)

author

Magdalena Latos

• Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Zabrze, Poland (Silesian Center for Heart Diseases, Department of Cardiac, Vascular and Endovascular Surgery and Transplantology)

author

Gabriela Orzeł

• Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Zabrze, Poland (Silesian Center for Heart Diseases, Department of Cardiac, Vascular and Endovascular Surgery and Transplantology)

author

Paulina Pałka

• Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Zabrze, Poland (Silesian Center for Heart Diseases, Department of Cardiac, Vascular and Endovascular Surgery and Transplantology)

author

Maciej Urlik

• Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Zabrze, Poland (Silesian Center for Heart Diseases, Department of Cardiac, Vascular and Endovascular Surgery and Transplantology)

author

Mirosław Nęcki

• Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Zabrze, Poland (Silesian Center for Heart Diseases, Department of Cardiac, Vascular and Endovascular Surgery and Transplantology)

author

Tomasz Stącel

• Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Zabrze, Poland (Silesian Center for Heart Diseases, Department of Cardiac, Vascular and Endovascular Surgery and Transplantology)

author

Marian Zembala

• Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Zabrze, Poland (Silesian Center for Heart Diseases, Department of Cardiac, Vascular and Endovascular Surgery and Transplantology)

Identifiers

DOI

10.13075/ijomeh.1896.01362

Biblioteka Nauki

2161970