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Cognitive tasks challenging brain tumor survivors at work
Courtney Collins1, Amanda Gehrke, Michael Feuerstein
1From the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Md.
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
|November 26, 2013
Summary
Employed brain tumor survivors frequently face challenges with cognitive work tasks. Key difficulties include following events, maintaining train of thought, task initiation, and understanding instructions.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Occupational Health
- Rehabilitation Medicine
Background:
- Brain tumors significantly impact survivors' lives, often leading to cognitive deficits.
- Cognitive impairments can hinder return to work and job performance.
- Understanding specific work task challenges is crucial for targeted support.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify specific work tasks that pose difficulties for employed brain tumor survivors.
- To compare the prevalence of problematic cognitive work tasks between brain tumor survivors and a healthy control group.
Main Methods:
- A comparative study involving 137 employed brain tumor survivors and 96 disease-free individuals.
- Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify significant work task challenges.
- Participants reported on problematic work tasks involving cognitive functions.
Main Results:
- Employed brain tumor survivors reported 44% of their work tasks involving cognitive functions as problematic.
- The most common challenging tasks included following the flow of events, remembering train of thought, organizing task materials, task switching, and following written instructions.
- These challenges were significantly more likely in the brain tumor survivor group compared to controls.
Conclusions:
- The study highlights significant cognitive work task difficulties faced by brain tumor survivors.
- Problematic tasks span key cognitive domains, including executive function and memory.
- Findings underscore the need for interventions to support cognitive function in the workplace for this population.
