Treatment burden and ability to work

Abstract

Treatment burden can adversely affect patient functioning and wellbeing, including their ability work. Workers with multimorbidity, such as ageing, are disproportionately affected and their number is set to rise as the workforce ages. Complex treatment regimens and their sequalae can be a barrier to a successful return to work or even incompatible with work demands. Enlightened employers will seek to accommodate the burden of treatment by implementing reasonable adjustments. However, where the employer is unable or unwilling to accommodate such adjustments, the result may be loss of employment, with often devastating consequences to the worker's physical and emotional health and wellbeing.Collaborative action in three key settings: the healthcare system, the workplace and the state can help reduce barriers, thereby enabling working-age people with chronic health conditions or disabilities remain in, and benefit from, employment.Educational aimsTo raise awareness on how treatment burden can adversely affect health, work and societal outcomes in working age people.To promote good practice in relation to managing treatment burden in healthcare and work settings, so that working age people with chronic health conditions or disabilities can remain in and benefit from work.

Social Disconnectedness in Individuals with Cardiovascular Disease: Associations with Health Literacy and Treatment Burden

“…Such feelings of shame may make individuals with low health literacy unwilling or unable to make use of social resources [ 41 ], potentially leading to social withdrawal. In a similar way, treatment burden may lead to disruptions in a person’s relational capacity [ 45 ], due to issues with navigating complex treatment regimens or by posing relationship strains due to time or financial resources spent on treatment [ 45 , 46 ]. Future prospective studies are required to explore the relationships between social disconnectedness, health literacy skills, and high perceived treatment burden, aiming to establish the directionality of these associations.…”

What affected UK adults’ adherence to medicines during the COVID-19 pandemic? Cross-sectional survey in a representative sample of people with long-term conditions

“…This latter factor is also suggested to be important given that respondents reporting they were “working” were less adherent. Treatment burden in working people has been reported to lead to non-adherence (Trakoli 2021 ). In general, the evidence suggests an increase in adherence with socioeconomic status, which wasn’t evident in this study, measured either by socioeconomic group or deprivation status.…”

Pill-burden and its association with treatment burden among patients with advanced stages of chronic kidney disease

“…Polypharmacy and its associated pill-burden can contribute to "treatment burden" ( Morris et al, 2021 ), defined as “the workload of healthcare and its effect on patient functioning and well-being” ( Trakoli, 2021 ). In the context of CKD, based on patient-reported outcome measures assessing the treatment burden of CKD, treatment regimen measures, distress measures, barriers to self-care measures, and treatment satisfaction measures were the main factors contributing to the overall treatment burden ( Eton et al, 2013 ).…”