Employment and Arthritis: Making it Work (MIW)

Employment and Arthritis: Making it Work: A Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating an On-line Program to Help People With Inflammatory Arthritis Remain Employed

The investigators plan to conduct a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness and the cost effectiveness of an on-line eLearning program (entitled Employment and Arthritis: Making it Work) designed to help people with inflammatory arthritis stay employed. The program also includes assessments with 1) an occupational therapist, and 2) a vocational rehabilitation counsellor at the end of the program to help participants identify and obtain necessary changes at work. People from three provinces will be recruited from collaborators' patient and program recipient lists. The study group will receive the program intervention and the control group will receive "usual care" and printed educational material. All participants will be followed for five years. The effectiveness of the program at improving at work productivity and reducing work cessation will be evaluated compared to a control group receiving printed material on employment and arthritis.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Rheumatoid Arthritis; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic; Spondylarthropathy; Psoriatic Arthritis; Ankylosing Spondylitis; Other Connective Tissue Diseases
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Employment and Arthritis: Making it Work

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 528
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Canada
  • British Columbia
    • Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, V6X 2C7
      • Arthritis Research Centre

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 59 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Between ages 18 and 59 years
• Able to read and write English
• Have inflammatory arthritis confirmed by a rheumatologist (Rheumatoid Arthritis, Ankylosing Spondylitis, Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic, Psoriatic Arthritis, Other Connective Tissue Diseases and Spondylarthropathy)
• Have access to a computer, a web-cam, a headset and a printer, or willingness to purchase these items
• Are willing to travel to Vancouver, Kelowna, Victoria, Prince Rupert, Prince George, Cranbrook or Kamloops, Calgary, Toronto, Newmarket or Brampton for one visit with an occupational therapist

Exclusion Criteria:

• Individuals who are not working
• Individuals on sick leave, short term or long term work disability
• Students
• People performing unpaid work such as volunteer work or taking care of family
• People planning to retire in the next six years
• Individuals unable to provide informed consent
• Individuals living outside of British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Intervention Group; The intervention group will participate in the on-line eLearning program, an ergonomic assessment by an Occupational Therapist and job retention vocational counselling by a Vocational Rehabilitation Counsellor	Behavioral: Employment and Arthritis: Making it Work; A ten week on-line eLearning program designed to help people with inflammatory arthritis stay employed. The program consists of 1) 5 interactive web-based eLearning modules that participants will complete individually in between the weekly group sessions, 2) 5 weekly group sessions conducted as virtual real-time web-based group meetings led by a trained facilitator, 3) asynchronous communications such as a message board to facilitate additional interactions among participants, 4) consultations with an occupational therapist (in-person)for an ergonomic assessment, and a vocational rehabilitation counsellor (on-line consultation using web technology) for job retention vocational counselling.
No Intervention: Control Group; The control group will receive "usual care" and receive printed educational materials about work and arthritis.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Efficacy analysis of at work productivity	Primary outcome for efficacy analysis of at-work productivity will be measured using the Work Instability Scale (WIS)	2 years post intervention
Efficacy analysis of work cessation	Primary outcome for efficacy analysis of work cessation is time to complete work cessation, defined as complete cessation of work due to any reason, for at least six months.	Over 5 years of follow up
Cost effectiveness analysis of at work productivity	Primary outcome for cost effectiveness analysis of at work productivity will be measured using the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment (WPAI)	2 years post intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Temporary work cessation	Time to temporary cessation of work for any reason (E.g. sick leave or temporary work disability and short periods of unemployment) for more than 2 months but less than 6 months	Up to 5 years
Occasional work absence	Number of days missed from work per year, measured by self report	Up to 5 years
Reduction in usual amount of time worked	Reduction in hours per week worked per year, measured by self report	Up to 5 years
Changes in employment risk factors	Changes from baseline in job satisfaction, self-efficacy at work, work-related risk factors for work disability (physical demand, job autonomy, difficulty commuting, self-employment and support from co-workers, employers and family), job accommodations and job type, measured by self report	Up to 5 years
At-work productivity	Evaluating maintenance of effect on at work productivity over 5 years using the Work Instability Scale (WIS)	Up to 5 years
At work productivity	Evaluating maintenance of effect on at work productivity over 5 years using the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment (WPAI)	Up to 5 years
At work productivity	New scale being developed and validated to measure at work productivity. Based on a combination of Workplace Activity Limitations Scale (WALS) and Work Limitations Questionnaire (WLQ).	Up to 5 years
Cost utility analysis of at work productivity	Outcome for cost utility analysis of at work productivity will be quality adjusted life year (QALY) measured using EQ-5D.	2 years post intervention
Cost utility analysis of at work productivity	Outcome for cost utility analysis of at work productivity will be quality adjusted life year (QALY) measured using SF-6D.	2 years post intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of British Columbia
• Collaborators: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR); University of Toronto; University of Calgary; Simon Fraser University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Diane Lacaille, MD, FRCPC, MHSc, University of British Columbia and Arthritis Research Centre

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Carruthers EC, Rogers P, Backman CL, Goldsmith CH, Gignac MA, Marra C, Village J, Li LC, Esdaile JM, Lacaille D. "Employment and arthritis: making it work" a randomized controlled trial evaluating an online program to help people with inflammatory arthritis maintain employment (study protocol). BMC Med Inform Decis Mak. 2014 Jul 21;14:59. doi: 10.1186/1472-6947-14-59.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: June 1, 2013
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 1, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): May 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 13, 2012
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 9, 2013
• First Posted (Estimated): May 14, 2013

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 1, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 27, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Axial Spondyloarthritis; Bone Diseases; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Arthritis; Joint Diseases; Rheumatic Diseases; Connective Tissue Diseases; Autoimmune Diseases; Immune System Diseases; Spinal Diseases; Ankylosis; Skin Diseases, Papulosquamous; Skin Diseases; Spondylarthritis; Spondylitis; Psoriasis; Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic; Spondylitis, Ankylosing; Arthritis, Rheumatoid; Arthritis, Psoriatic; Spondylarthropathies; Socioeconomic Factors; Population Characteristics; Employment
• Other Study ID Numbers: H11-03527