Background:
Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) are chronic blood cancers that often affect people in their working years. While previous studies using instruments such as the MPN-SAF, EORTC QLQ-C30 and EQ-5D-5L have described symptom burden and health-related quality of life, fewer have examined how fatigue, treatment demands, and psychological distress influence work participation and functional well-being. International surveys suggest that up to half of individuals living with MPNs experience employment change or productivity loss. A systematic synthesis of this evidence is needed to inform survivorship care and occupational support.
Methods:
This project will systematically review published evidence on employment, work productivity, and return-to-work outcomes among adults living with polycythaemia vera, essential thrombocythaemia, and myelofibrosis. Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, searches will be conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and Web of Science from 2000–2025. Quantitative and mixed-methods studies reporting work or functional outcomes using validated instruments (e.g., WPAI-SHP, MPN-SAF, EQ-5D-5L) will be included. Screening and data extraction will be completed using Covidence, with methodological quality appraised via Joanna Briggs Institute tools. The review protocol will be registered on PROSPERO.
Objectives:
To synthesise evidence on the impact of MPNs on employment, work productivity, and return-to-work outcomes.
To explore associations between occupational outcomes, quality of life, symptom burden, and fatigue.
To interpret findings within a chronic-illness survivorship framework to inform supportive and policy interventions.
Expected Outcomes:
Data will be synthesised narratively, with meta-analysis undertaken where appropriate. The review will identify key factors influencing employment and participation, informing survivorship care, rehabilitation, and workplace supports. Findings will be disseminated at the HRB Student Research Showcase, the TCD School of Nursing & Midwifery Research Forum, and through a peer-reviewed publication.