Trial of Health At Work Workplace Health Intervention (H@W)

A Pilot Controlled Feasibility Trial of Early Health At Work Workplace Intervention

This pilot study will compare workplace health intervention delivered by advisors based in GP practices with normal GP care to assess the usefulness of the concept and its potential for wider use in a larger randomised controlled trial.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Workplace Health
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Health at Work workplace health advice and support

Detailed Description

The aim of this pilot study is to examine the impact of H@W intervention(s) on job retention and return to work and compare outcomes with those from normal GP care. The target population for this study is people still at work but experiencing a work-related health problem as well as those off work. For the purpose of the study, short term sickness absence is defined as a period of 4 weeks or less and long term sickness absence defined as a period of 4 weeks or longer. Hypothesis

That H@W intervention in comparison to standard care:

• promotes work retention
• enables a quick and sustained return to work for those on short term sick leave (4 weeks or less)
• achieves sustained return to work for those on long term sick leave of 4 weeks or more. This could include a phased return to work.
• achieves positive outcomes which could mean leaving one job and starting another.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 63
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United Kingdom
  • Merseyside
    • Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom, L69 3GB
      • Division of Primary Care, University of Liverpool.

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• People with work related health problems registered with GP practices in Liverpool Primary Care Trust.

Exclusion Criteria:

• People registered with GP practices outside Liverpool Primary Care Trust.
• Vulnerable adults and those considered by their GP to be unsuitable for the trial.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Other: workplace health advice; The intervention group will receive additional support from a H@W Workplace Health Advisor who will deliver an intervention aimed at sickness absence prevention or sustained return to work, depending on individual circumstances.	Behavioral: Health at Work workplace health advice and support; The intervention group will receive additional support from a H@W Workplace Health Advisor who will deliver an intervention aimed at sickness absence prevention or sustained return to work, depending on individual circumstances. The intervention will be standardized as far as possible to show types of activity undertaken with participants, their GP, line managers, human resources departments and trade union representatives.
No Intervention: GP sickness absence consultation; Routine general practitioner care for workplace sickness absence.	Behavioral: Health at Work workplace health advice and support; The intervention group will receive additional support from a H@W Workplace Health Advisor who will deliver an intervention aimed at sickness absence prevention or sustained return to work, depending on individual circumstances. The intervention will be standardized as far as possible to show types of activity undertaken with participants, their GP, line managers, human resources departments and trade union representatives.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Number of days off work through sickness absence after index consultation, which will also apply to people at work with a work-relevant condition	1 year

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Secondary outcome measure: time to first return to work (RTW) allowing for phased return.	1 year

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Liverpool
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Mark B Gabbay, MD, University of Liverpool

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: June 1, 2008
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 1, 2010
• Study Completion (Actual): March 1, 2010

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 9, 2009
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 9, 2009
• First Posted (Estimated): March 10, 2009

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): October 30, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 28, 2024
• Last Verified: January 1, 2010

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: primary care; early intervention; return to work; sickness absence
• Other Study ID Numbers: BER10457