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Common for patients to leave work shortly after returning from MI
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Despite many patients returning to work immediately after their first MI, 1 in 4 leave work within 1 year of returning, according to findings from a Danish study.
“Although fewer post-MI complications, such as recurrent MI, heart failure and death, are important benchmarks for the quality of care, returning to work and being able to remain employed are similarly important markers of functional status, which are associated with individual self-esteem and societal costs,” Laerke Smedegaard, MD, of the Herlev and Gentofte University Hospital in Denmark, and colleagues wrote. “While previous studies have focused on return to work after MI, with return rates from 57% to 90% within 1 year, continuation of employment following return to work remains unclear.”
Smedegaard and colleagues used data from national Danish registries and included patients of working age (30-65 years) who had a first-time MI from 1997 to 2012 and were employed before admission (n = 22,394; 81% men; median age, 55 years).
Within 1 year, 91.1% (95% CI, 90.7-91.5) returned to work, but 1 year after their return, 24.2% (95% CI, 23.6-24.8) were no longer employed and were receiving social benefits.
Detachment from employment was highest in patients aged 60 to 65 years (OR = 1.84; 95% CI, 1.71-1.99) and 30 to 39 years (OR = 1.26; 95% CI, 1.06-1.48) compared with those aged 50 to 59 years.
Continued employment was significantly lower in those with MI (74.6% still employed) compared with a control population matched on age and sex (91.4% still employed).
Those with HF (OR = 1.2; 95% CI, 1.08-1.34), diabetes (OR = 1.13; 95% CI, 1.01-1.25) and depression (OR = 1.77; 95% CI, 1.55-2.01) were more likely to detach from employment.
Higher education level and higher income were associated with remaining employed after MI.
“While our work largely confirms prior knowledge about return to work after MI, the notion that post-MI patients frequently become detached from employment shortly after re-employment is new. This observation emphasizes that return to work may not be a valid measure of successful recovery of working capacity,” the researchers concluded. “Thus, our novel findings on a nationwide level suggest that a rehabilitation strategy with focus on employment maintenance is warranted, in particular for patients aged 30 to 39 years and those of lower socioeconomic status who showed a disconcerting trend for becoming detached from employment.” by Cassie Homer
Disclosures: Smedegaard reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the study for all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.
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