Accuracy of the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0) score as an objective assessment tool for predicting return-to-work status after head and neck cancer in male survivors.

Purpose: The objective of this nationwide study in Taiwan was to predict work participation by using the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0) score as an objective assessment tool.

Method: Data from between July 2012 and July 2017 regarding 1206 male head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors with disability aged < 50 years were obtained from the Taiwan Data Bank of Persons with Disability (TDPD). Demographic data and the WHODAS 2.0 scores were analyzed to compare employment statuses among HNC survivors.

Results: The WHODAS 2.0 scores in all the domains were lower in unemployed than in employed HNC survivors (p < 0.001). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve revealed that the summary WHODAS 2.0 score (area under curve > 0.8) was an extremely accurate predictive tool. Binary logistic regression revealed that the severity levels of impairment and standardized WHODAS 2.0 summary scores less than the cutoff value (27.81) were predictors for the return-to-work (RTW) status of HNC survivors with disability in the working age group.

Conclusions: The WHODAS 2.0 score is an objective quantitative assessment tool for evaluating the RTW possibility among these patient groups.