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Professional and social activity of patients after heart transplant

100%

Marcinkowska U., Kukowka K., Gałeczka M., Pudlo R., Zakliczyński M., Zembala M.

International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health

2015

vol. 28

issue 4

741-749

Objectives The aim of the study is to describe both professional and social activities of patients after heart transplant. Material and Methods Ninety-five heart transplant patients treated at the Silesian Center for Heart Diseases in Zabrze were surveyed, comprising 29 women (30.5%) and 66 men (69.5%). The average age of respondents was 54.3 years old (standard deviation (SD) = 15 years); the average period that had elapsed since the heart transplant was 7.1 years (SD = 4 years). We designed a questionnaire as a tool for collecting information from patients. Results Twenty-five percent of patients worked at the time of completion of the questionnaire. Eighty percent of those patients were working before and after the transplant, 20% – only after transplantation (p < 0.05). A different job position at a new workplace had 47.8% of patients, 34.8% of them had the same job position at the same work place as they had had before, 63.4% of the heart transplant respondents were pensioners. Eighty-two percent of patients had a certificate with a designated degree of disability – among them: 69% had a certificate for a significant degree of disability, 22% – for a moderate degree of disability. Among those surveyed, 52.5% said that their financial situation had not changed whereas 34.5% of those surveyed reported a change for the worse. Thirty-seven percent of respondents reported changes in family relationships. Seventy-seven percent reported that they received help from family members, as compared with 19% who did not. Conclusions Only 25.3% of the patients treated at the Silesian Centre for Heart Diseases after heart transplant are employed and it is one of the lowest employment rates in this category of patients in Europe. One third of working patients have the same work place as they had before their operation. Heart transplant is a cause of changes in family relationships. Most often family bonds are strengthened but sometimes family members become nervous, impatient and unwilling to talk about the transplant.

Employment after lung transplantation in Poland – a single center study

84%

Ochman M., Latos M., Orzeł G., Pałka P., Urlik M., Nęcki M., Stącel T., Zembala M.

International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health

2019

vol. 32

issue 3

379-386

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

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2 International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health

2 Zembala M.

1 Gałeczka M.

1 Kukowka K.

1 Latos M.

1 Marcinkowska U.

1 Nęcki M.

1 Ochman M.

1 Orzeł G.

1 Pałka P.

1 Pudlo R.

1 Stącel T.

1 Urlik M.

1 Zakliczyński M.

1 2019

1 2015

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Professional and social activity of patients after heart transplant

Employment after lung transplantation in Poland – a single center study