Prevention of Arthritis-Related Work Disability

NCT ID: NCT00000416

Last Updated: 2017-07-26

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 242 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 1997-09-30
• Study Completion Date: 2001-08-31

Brief Summary

People with rheumatic disorders (arthritis) often have trouble keeping their jobs. This study will look at whether vocational rehabilitation (VR) will improve the ability of employed people with arthritis to keep their jobs. Job retention VR services target key factors that increase the risk of job loss. They aim to modify jobs to reduce barriers caused by functional limitations and disease symptoms, future career planning, and establish a partnership with a VR counselor for ongoing help.

We will conduct the study among patients with rheumatic disorders recruited in eastern Massachusetts. We will give 120 study participants job retention services provided by VR counselors. We will give another 120 participants literature about employment- related resources. We will compare the outcomes of the two groups to evaluate the usefulness of job retention services in preventing job loss in people with rheumatic disorders.

Detailed Description

Job loss commonly occurs among people with rheumatic disorders. This study will determine whether vocational rehabilitation (VR) provided to employed people with rheumatic disorders will improve their ability to remain employed. VR is applied primarily to people who have already lost their jobs. However, using job retention VR services may prevent, or delay, the onset of employment work loss among people with rheumatic disorders. Job retention VR services target important employment-loss risk factors. They do so by modifying jobs to reduce barriers posed by functional limitations and symptoms, promoting future career planning, and establishing an alliance with a VR counselor for ongoing assistance.

The study is a randomized, controlled trial conducted among patients with rheumatic disorders recruited from the practices of rheumatologists in eastern Massachusetts.

We will randomly assign 120 study participants to receive job-retention services provided by VR counselors and 120 participants (controls) to receive literature about employment-related resources. We will assess intermediate outcome variables (self-efficacy, work limitations, and job accommodation-seeking behaviors) and the endpoint outcome variable, work instability (a measure that includes employment loss), immediately prior to the interventions and at 6-month intervals over a 24-month period after the interventions are carried out. We will compare the outcomes of the two groups to evaluate the usefulness of job retention services in forestalling work instability in this population.

Conditions

Rheumatoid Arthritis; Systemic Lupus Erythematosus; Osteoarthritis, Knee; Ankylosing Spondylitis

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: PREVENTION
• Blinding Strategy: TRIPLE

Study Groups

Rehabilitation counseling

Rehabilitation counseling

Experimental

Rehabilitation counseling was provided by rehabilitation counselors. They administered the Work Experience Survey; provided and discussed disability rights and responsibilities and provided career counseling they as needed.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Rehabilitation counseling

Intervention Type: OTHER

Provided in 2 in-person meetings and in follow-up phone calls

printed information

Active comparator

Control group participants received relevant printed information in the mail only; no rehabilitation counseling

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Rehabilitation counseling

Intervention Type: OTHER

Provided in 2 in-person meetings and in follow-up phone calls

Interventions

Rehabilitation counseling

Provided in 2 in-person meetings and in follow-up phone calls

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Must currently be employed full or part time
• Must live in selected communities in eastern Massachusetts

Exclusion Criteria

• Plans to move from area
• Plans to have joint replacement surgery in next 6 months
• Plans to retire or go on disability within next 2 years

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 65 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)

NIH

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Boston University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Boston University Charles River Campus

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Saralynn J. Allaire

Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Saralynn J. Allaire, Sc.D.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Boston University

Locations

Boston University School of Medicine

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Countries

United States

References

Allaire SH, Li W, LaValley,M: Work Problems reported by employed persons with reheumatic diseases and their association with work satisfaction. Arthritis Rheumatic 43:S128,2000

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

Allaire SH, Li W, LaValley, M. Can job retention vocational rehabilitation services reduce work disability among employed persons with rheumatic diseases? Arthritis Rheum 44 (supplement):S813, 2001.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

Allaire SH. Update on work disability in rheumatic diseases. Curr Opin Rheumatol. 2001 Mar;13(2):93-8. doi: 10.1097/00002281-200103000-00001.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 11224732 (View on PubMed)

de Buck PD, Schoones JW, Allaire SH, Vliet Vlieland TP. Vocational rehabilitation in patients with chronic rheumatic diseases: a systematic literature review. Semin Arthritis Rheum. 2002 Dec;32(3):196-203. doi: 10.1053/sarh.2002.34609.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 12528084 (View on PubMed)

Allaire SH, Li W, LaValley MP. Reduction of job loss in persons with rheumatic diseases receiving vocational rehabilitation: a randomized controlled trial. Arthritis Rheum. 2003 Nov;48(11):3212-8. doi: 10.1002/art.11256.

Reference Type: RESULT

PMID: 14613285 (View on PubMed)

Allaire SH, Niu J, Lavalley MP. Employment and Satisfaction Outcomes From a Job Retention Intervention Delivered to Persons with Chronic Diseases. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin 48(2):100-109, 2005

Reference Type: RESULT

Other Identifiers

P60AR020613

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

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NIAMS-012

Identifier Type: OTHER

Identifier Source: secondary_id

EEHRS Project 3

Identifier Type: OTHER

Identifier Source: secondary_id

P60AR020613

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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