PhD Defence Maarten H.P. Butink

Keywords: Work participation, chronic diseases, intervention, hospital
 

"Work-related support for people with chronic diseases in clinical care: Work in progress"

An increasing number of people are suffering from chronic diseases, with all the consequences that come with them. These conditions can, for instance, affect their participation in society, such as their ability to continue healthy working. This dissertation examines how work-related support (care that also considers the patient's 'work') can be integrated into hospital care. 

A care improvement has been proposed in several outpatient clinics at Maastricht UMC+, where physicians and nurses pay more attention to their patients' work. Behavior change techniques were used to make discussing 'work' easier during patient consultations. Additionally, a care pathway, training sessions, and discussion cards were developed to support this. 

The study also looked into the challenges of this approach and made recommendations to further improve this care. The development of this care was done in collaboration with Radboud UMC, as part of the Academic Alliance.

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