The Use of Worktime Planning Tools in the Finnish Public Sector. A Quasi-experimental Study (PLANTOOLS)
NCT ID: NCT02775331
Last Updated: 2023-03-01
Study Results
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Basic Information
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COMPLETED
NA
9000 participants
INTERVENTIONAL
2016-01-01
2023-02-28
Brief Summary
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Detailed Description
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Material and methods Software In the Finnish public sector, basically three separate shift scheduling software versions are currently available (Titania, CGI© Finland, Finland). The first one (Titania1), is an interactive software supporting interactive shift rostering (individual worktime control for employees) and giving guidance for health-supporting shift ergonomics both to the shift planners use the employees using the software. The second software (Titania2) is used by the shift planners only, and it gives similar guidance for health-supporting shift ergonomics than software Titania1 but does not include an option for participatory rostering. The third software (Titania3) is otherwise similar shift planning software than Titania 2 (used by the shift planners only) but does not include neither the participatory rostering nor the health-supporting shift ergonomics tools.
The investigators will use a sampling software that has been developed earlier, to retrieve all the daily objective working hour and absence data from the employers´ records. The reliability, validity, and accuracy of the used method to retrieve and analyze pay-roll data on working hours has been assessed earlier based partially on the same dataset as this study. The raw data will include data on each calendar day on shift starting and ending times, the use of shift wishes and reasons for absence. The raw data will be processed into individual level data by construction of variables within specific time frame (i.e., shift characteristics based on the length, time, recovery and social aspects of working hours per month or year).
Study design Using a non-randomized quasi-experimental design, the use of a self-rostering software including also an option to evaluate shift ergonomics will be compared to the use of a shift scheduling software without self-rostering but an option for shift ergonomics evaluation and secondly, to shift scheduling software as usual (without self-rostering and shift ergonomics evaluation). Questionnaire and registry data from 2016-2019 after the intervention (T2) will be compared to baseline data from 2012 to 2015 before the intervention (T1) in the three groups.
Participants The use of the three different versions of shift planning software will be studied in approximately 6 000 employees in shift planning units/departments that will be accounted as clusters in the analyses in six hospital districts of the ongoing Finnish Public Sector study. According to 3/2016 information, 2/6 hospital districts have made a managerial decision to start to use the Titania1 software during 2016 in all applicable wards, 2/6 hospital districts have decided to start to use the Titania2 software, and 2/6 organizations have decided to remain in Titania3 software.
Participants are all hospital employees working in units that use the software (1-3) in the 6 hospital districts since 9/2015 for at least one year, and who have answered to a questionnaire sent to all the workers of the organizations in 2015 and 2017 or 2019. Based on earlier response rates of the cohort, the expected sample size is approximately 6000 employees, who are using at least one version of the software, and who will reply the questionnaire both in 2015 and 2017 and/or 2019. In order to minimize potential bias due to non-randomization and possible selection, the shift planning units (clusters) using Titania1, Titania2 and Titania3 will be matched for a) the amount of shift work (% of workers in each cluster having non-day shifts), b) age and c) baseline level of perceived work-time control (only for intervention 1: shift planning with shift ergonomics and self-rostering) or c) shift ergonomics (only for intervention 2: shift ergonomics). The pay-roll based daily working hour data will be retrieved from the shift scheduling program retrospectively from the beginning of 2012 and prospectively up to the end of 2019. Additional funding enables us to continue the follow-up from 2017 to 2019.
In addition to comparing the overall effects of the use of Titania1 and Titania2 tools compared to Titania3, a subgroup analysis will be done based on
1. the registry-based individual use of the Titania1 and Titania 2 software within the group
2. the possible changes of the perceived worktime control and objective shift characteristics and
3. individual differences (e.g. age, diurnal type, health).
Thematic focus group interviews will be performed in the participating organizations to gather end-user, shift-planner and employers´ attitudes, change processes and experiences on using the Titania tools. This information will be used to further develop the Titania tools according to feedback.
The guidelines of the Transparent Reporting of Evaluations with Non-randomized Designs (TREND) will be used in the reporting of the results.
Conditions
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Study Design
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NON_RANDOMIZED
PARALLEL
PREVENTION
NONE
Study Groups
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Units using Titania1 software
Employees working in shift planning units (clusters) using an interactive shift planning software (Titania1) with sub-tools for individual shift planning (self-rostering) and an option for shift ergonomics evaluation to both the shift planner and the employees
Shift planning with self-rostering and shift ergonomics
Employees working in shift planning units (clusters) using an interactive shift planning software (Titania1) with sub-tools for individual shift planning (self-rostering) and an option for shift ergonomics evaluation to both the shift planner and the employees
Units using Titania2 software
Employees working in shift planning units (clusters) where shift planners use a non-interactive shift planning software (Titania2) providing guidance for health-supporting shift ergonomics.
Shift planning with shift ergonomics
Employees working in shift planning units (clusters) where shift planners use a non-interactive shift planning software (Titania2) providing guidance for health-supporting shift ergonomics.
Units using Titania3 software
Employees working in shift planning units (clusters) where a standard shift planning software (Titania3) without interactive shift rostering or guidance for health-supporting shift ergonomics is used by shift planners.
No interventions assigned to this group
Interventions
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Shift planning with self-rostering and shift ergonomics
Employees working in shift planning units (clusters) using an interactive shift planning software (Titania1) with sub-tools for individual shift planning (self-rostering) and an option for shift ergonomics evaluation to both the shift planner and the employees
Shift planning with shift ergonomics
Employees working in shift planning units (clusters) where shift planners use a non-interactive shift planning software (Titania2) providing guidance for health-supporting shift ergonomics.
Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria
* Working hours are planned with Titania software (1-3) starting from 9/2015 for at least one year
* Employees who have answered a questionnaire sent to all current employees of the organizations in 2015
* Employees who will answer to similar questionnaire in 2017 and/or 2019.
Exclusion Criteria
* Employees who have less than 120 working days (approx.6 months without leaves) before and after the use of the software
ALL
Yes
Sponsors
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CGI Finland Ltd, Helsinki, Finland
UNKNOWN
Finnish Work Environment Fund
OTHER
NordForsk, Nordic Program on Health and Welfare, Oslo, Norway
UNKNOWN
European Union Horizon2020 Call:H2020-SC1-DTH-2018-2020
UNKNOWN
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health
OTHER
Responsible Party
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Principal Investigators
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Mikko Härmä, MD
Role: STUDY_DIRECTOR
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health
References
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Ala-Mursula L, Vahtera J, Kivimaki M, Kevin MV, Pentti J. Employee control over working times: associations with subjective health and sickness absences. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2002 Apr;56(4):272-8. doi: 10.1136/jech.56.4.272.
Des Jarlais DC, Lyles C, Crepaz N; TREND Group. Improving the reporting quality of nonrandomized evaluations of behavioral and public health interventions: the TREND statement. Am J Public Health. 2004 Mar;94(3):361-6. doi: 10.2105/ajph.94.3.361.
Goldberg D, Williams P. 1988. A user´s guide to the General Health Questionnaire. Berkshire: UK. NFER-Nelson.
Hansen AM, Nabe-Nielsen K, Albertsen K, Hogh A, Lund H, Hvid H, Garde AH. Self-rostering and psychosocial work factors - a mixed methods intervention study. Appl Ergon. 2015 Mar;47:203-10. doi: 10.1016/j.apergo.2014.10.006. Epub 2014 Oct 22.
Harma M, Ropponen A, Hakola T, Koskinen A, Vanttola P, Puttonen S, Sallinen M, Salo P, Oksanen T, Pentti J, Vahtera J, Kivimaki M. Developing register-based measures for assessment of working time patterns for epidemiologic studies. Scand J Work Environ Health. 2015 May 1;41(3):268-79. doi: 10.5271/sjweh.3492. Epub 2015 Mar 19.
Idler EL, Angel RJ. Self-rated health and mortality in the NHANES-I Epidemiologic Follow-up Study. Am J Public Health. 1990 Apr;80(4):446-52. doi: 10.2105/ajph.80.4.446.
OARS. 1978. Multidimensional functional assessment: The OARS methodology (2nd ed.). Durham, NC: Duke University.
Turunen J, Karhula K, Ropponen A, Koskinen A, Hakola T, Puttonen S, Hamalainen K, Pehkonen J, Harma M. The effects of using participatory working time scheduling software on sickness absence: A difference-in-differences study. Int J Nurs Stud. 2020 Dec;112:103716. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2020.103716. Epub 2020 Jul 14.
Karhula K, Turunen J, Hakola T, Ojajarvi A, Puttonen S, Ropponen A, Kivimaki M, Harma M. The effects of using participatory working time scheduling software on working hour characteristics and wellbeing: A quasi-experimental study of irregular shift work. Int J Nurs Stud. 2020 Dec;112:103696. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2020.103696. Epub 2020 Jun 24.
Shiri R, Karhula K, Turunen J, Koskinen A, Ropponen A, Ervasti J, Kivimaki M, Harma M. The Effect of Using Participatory Working Time Scheduling Software on Employee Well-Being and Workability: A Cohort Study Analysed as a Pseudo-Experiment. Healthcare (Basel). 2021 Oct 16;9(10):1385. doi: 10.3390/healthcare9101385.
Karhula K, Hakola T, Koskinen A, Lallukka T, Ojajarvi A, Puttonen S, Oksanen T, Rahkonen O, Ropponen A, Harma M. Ageing shift workers' sleep and working-hour characteristics after implementing ergonomic shift-scheduling rules. J Sleep Res. 2021 Aug;30(4):e13227. doi: 10.1111/jsr.13227. Epub 2020 Nov 9.
Turunen J, Karhula K, Ropponen A, Koskinen A, Shiri R, Sallinen M, Ervasti J, Pehkonen J, Harma M. The Time-Varying Effect of Participatory Shift Scheduling on Working Hour Characteristics and Sickness Absence: Evidence from a Quasi-Experiment in Hospitals. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Nov 8;19(22):14654. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192214654.
Other Identifiers
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3508702
Identifier Type: -
Identifier Source: org_study_id
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