Heart Disease and Post-Op Employment
May 20, 2009 | Posted by bryan | 0 Comments
A study has revealed that male employees are less likely to be employed on a full-time basis following surgery for heart disease.
The trend is linked with the severity of their disease, according to the article in Congenital Heart Disease.
However, among female participants little difference is seen between post-op women and the general population’s employment prospects.
Only men display an increased likelihood to be employed part-time, rather than full-time, after undergoing treatment.
Part of the reason behind this trend could be the different psychological responses seen in male and female patients after heart surgery.
Men are more likely to respond in a negative way, including reactions such as anxiety, aggression and depression.
Indeed, the Hannover Medical School researchers claim that such responses are “much more” apparent among men.
Following the discoveries, the researchers have made some suggestions as to how post-op patients may be helped back into the workplace.
One of their findings is that failing to obtain the desired occupation – and instead working elsewhere – has no significant effect in terms of reducing subsequent job satisfaction.
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute notes that heart disease is the main killer of both men and women.
Only slightly more than half of all deaths from heart attack occur in men, the institute adds.