Being a Resource or a Burden, Preparing Return to Work During Treatment: Breast Cancer Survivors’ Experiences

Background The return to work (RTW) is critical for physical, psychosocial, and financial wellbeing and the normalization of breast cancer (BC) survivors. While research indicates that these survivors experience several barriers to the RTW after treatment, limited knowledge exists on preparing the RTW during treatment from women’s perspectives. Objective To explore the experiences of women with BC preparing their RTW during cancer treatment. Methods A qualitative, inductive study was performed and 21 BC survivors with experience from RTW were interviewed individually. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the interviews. Results Most participants believed that their RTW would be unproblematic. They used all their energy to remain hopeful. Losing value as a human being and as an employee was a painful experience. The need for support to keep hope alive and nurture their feelings of value was described as crucial. Conclusions Feelings of hope and value were sustained through positive contact with the workplace, receipt of realistic information on the RTW, continuity of treatment and care, experiencing active listening from healthcare providers, and receipt of information about and coordination of support services. Implications for practice HCPs should inform BC survivors that their disease may have long‐term side effects and is a burden that may affect their work life and cause cognitive and psychological distress. HCPs must strive to provide continuity and individualized information during treatment regarding optimal use of the sick leave system, legal rights, support service, contact with work, and individualized RTW planning.