Discipline: Occupational Therapy

Development of a return-to-work intervention for women with breast cancer

PhD Student: Naomi Algeo Supervisor: Deirdre Connolly and Kathleen Bennett Funding: Irish Research Council

Overview of Project: Naomi’s research is focused on cancer survivorship and employment. Specifically, she is developing a programme to support women with breast cancer to return to the workplace after their diagnosis. To do this, the research has been guided by the Medical Research Council Framework for Developing and Evaluating Complex Interventions and involves a number of phases: Phase I: A qualitative-descriptive design exploring what helps and impedes women with breast cancer in transitioning back to work after diagnosis. This involved interviewing women with breast cancer, healthcare professionals and employers across Ireland; Phase II: A systematic review and metaanalysis exploring what rehabilitation interventions are effective in improving work outcomes for women with breast cancer. This involved searching the evidence-base to find out what research has been carried out in the area before, and importantly, what has been found to be effective in supporting work; Phase III: A consensus study to prioritise content and delivery of the programme being developed. This was completed using an online workshop using the nominal group technique and was informed by those living with and beyond cancer, cancer policy informers, cancer support centres, and healthcare professionals; Phase IV: A single-arm feasibility study with qualitative process evaluation. This involves testing the programme that has been developed and finding out from participants (women with breast cancer) if they found it beneficial or not, if they’d change anything about the programme and if they think it’s worth pursuing further in research.

Long-term impact of project: At present, there are no evidence-based programmes to support return-to-work for those living with and beyond cancer in Ireland. Should the programme be deemed feasible, the next logical step is for further research with larger scale studies.

PhD Candidate Quote : “I would recommend an academic path to any student. I love the variability and flexibility, the space to read, think, reflect and learn.”