MANAGE AT WORK: Addressing the Challenge of Chronic Physical Health Conditions in the Workplace

NCT ID: NCT01978392

Last Updated: 2017-06-02

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 122 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2013-11-30
• Study Completion Date: 2017-05-31

Brief Summary

The specific aim of the study is to evaluate the health benefits of a series of group workshops designed for workers with chronic physical health conditions. The facilitated workshops apply principles of pain and illness self-management to help workers deal with health-related challenges while at work. The workshops address issues of pain management, physical job demands, pacing of work, communication, problem solving, and coping. Half of the participants in the study will be randomly assigned to attend workshop sessions (10 hours total), and all study participants will be followed for one year. The primary hypothesis is that workers who participate in these workshops will show improvements in work engagement and reductions in work limitation in the subsequent 12 months.

Detailed Description

One significant trend in the US workforce is the advancing median age of workers and the growing prevalence of chronic medical conditions that contribute to workplace pain, fatigue, task limitations, and reduced productivity. The proposed multi-site study is a randomized, controlled trial of a multi-session group intervention program targeting workers with chronic health concerns (N = 300). The primary outcome measures will be self-report measures of work limitations and work engagement measured at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months follow-up. Secondary outcomes will include turnover intention, sickness absence, job satisfaction, and healthcare utilization. Process variables and covariates will include assessment of self-efficacy, work-related fatigue, emotional distress, work characteristics, general health status, and basic demographic variables. The study should provide an assessment of whether principles of symptom self-management can be successfully applied to workplace problems and delivered in a group workshop format to reduce the disabling effects of chronic medical conditions.

Conditions

Chronic Physical Health Conditions

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: PREVENTION
• Blinding Strategy: SINGLE

Study Groups

Self-management group workshops

Self-management group workshops: Participants randomized to the intervention arm will be asked to participate in group workshop sessions (10 hours total) led by a specially trained facilitator and provided over a span of approximately 2-3 months.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Self-management group workshops

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

This intervention consists of multiple group workshop sessions (10 hours total) led by a specially trained facilitator and provided over a span of approximately 2-3 months. The intervention incorporates standard elements of existing evidence-based pain and illness self-management efforts, but tailoring key messages and discussion elements to apply to workplace problems most relevant to workers with chronic medical conditions. Each session is focused on different self-management strategies, with each session containing a mix of facilitator presentation, group discussion, case illustrations, role-play, completion of in-session self-assessments and activities, and brief homework assignments. Approximately equal time is allocated to the topics of improving comfort, modifying work, communicating effectively, applying systematic problem-solving strategies, and dealing with negative thoughts and emotions.

No treament (wait-list control)

Wait-list control: Participants randomized to the control arm will receive no intervention during the one-year period of data collection, but they will be invited to attend a full-day Saturday workshop after all study data collection is complete). The intent of the full-day workshop will be to provide the same self-management information as in the intervention arm, but on a delayed basis and in a more condensed format.

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

Self-management group workshops

This intervention consists of multiple group workshop sessions (10 hours total) led by a specially trained facilitator and provided over a span of approximately 2-3 months. The intervention incorporates standard elements of existing evidence-based pain and illness self-management efforts, but tailoring key messages and discussion elements to apply to workplace problems most relevant to workers with chronic medical conditions. Each session is focused on different self-management strategies, with each session containing a mix of facilitator presentation, group discussion, case illustrations, role-play, completion of in-session self-assessments and activities, and brief homework assignments. Approximately equal time is allocated to the topics of improving comfort, modifying work, communicating effectively, applying systematic problem-solving strategies, and dealing with negative thoughts and emotions.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Workers with at least one chronic physical condition (> 6 months).
• Working full time (at least 20 hours per week).
• Able to read and speak in English language.

Exclusion Criteria

• Impending retirement or major career change (next 12 months).
• Not available to attend group workshops after working hours.

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

Sponsors

Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety

INDUSTRY

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

William S Shaw, Ph.D.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety

Locations

Employer #3 (confidential)

Worcester, Massachusetts, United States

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center

Hanover, New Hampshire, United States

Employer #4 (Confidential)

Hanover, New Hampshire, United States

Employer #2 (confidential)

Providence, Rhode Island, United States

Countries

United States

References

Tveito TH, Shaw WS, Huang YH, Nicholas M, Wagner G. Managing pain in the workplace: a focus group study of challenges, strategies and what matters most to workers with low back pain. Disabil Rehabil. 2010;32(24):2035-45. doi: 10.3109/09638281003797398. Epub 2010 Sep 23.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 20860528 (View on PubMed)

Shaw WS, Tveito TH, Geehern-Lavoie M, Huang YH, Nicholas MK, Reme SE, Wagner G, Pransky G. Adapting principles of chronic pain self-management to the workplace. Disabil Rehabil. 2012;34(8):694-703. doi: 10.3109/09638288.2011.615372. Epub 2011 Oct 17.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 22004668 (View on PubMed)

Shaw WS, Tveito TH, Boot CR. Introduction to the special section: sustainability of work with chronic health conditions. J Occup Rehabil. 2013 Jun;23(2):157-61. doi: 10.1007/s10926-013-9448-7.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 23625029 (View on PubMed)

Shaw WS, McLellan RK, Besen E, Namazi S, Nicholas MK, Dugan AG, Tveito TH. A Worksite Self-management Program for Workers with Chronic Health Conditions Improves Worker Engagement and Retention, but not Workplace Function. J Occup Rehabil. 2022 Mar;32(1):77-86. doi: 10.1007/s10926-021-09983-6. Epub 2021 May 13.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 33983524 (View on PubMed)

Shaw WS, Besen E, Pransky G, Boot CR, Nicholas MK, McLellan RK, Tveito TH. Manage at work: a randomized, controlled trial of a self-management group intervention to overcome workplace challenges associated with chronic physical health conditions. BMC Public Health. 2014 May 28;14:515. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-14-515.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 24885844 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

LMRIS Project 11-08

Identifier Type: OTHER_GRANT

Identifier Source: secondary_id

LMRIS 11-08

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id