Effects of Motivational Interviewing for Long-term Sick Absence

NCT ID: NCT03212118

Last Updated: 2022-09-23

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

774 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2018-01-01

Study Completion Date

2022-07-01

Brief Summary

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Long-term sickness absence has considerable impact on social functioning, families involved, the employer, and society as a whole. Preventing long-term sickness absence and increase the likelihood of return to work (RTW) are critical concerns for industrialized countries across the world. Motivational factors contributing to RTW and maintenance of work participation are therefore of importance to explore in order to get the person back to work after long-term sick leave. Motivational interviewing (MI) is an empirically validated psychological approach that may be particularly useful in a RTW context. Even though MI has been widely studied and is considered a flexible intervention strategy in different domains, its effectiveness in improving RTW has not yet been studied.

The aim of this study is to evaluate whether MI provided by trained caseworkers at The Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV) to sick-listed users with unselected diagnoses facilitates RTW compared with follow-up as usual.

Detailed Description

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The main study will be preceded by a pilot study (anticipated start medio august 2017). The aim of the pilot is to test the practical aspects of the study. If no changes are made to the study protocol, the intervention or one of the other arms, participants from the pilot will be included in the main study, In case of modifications to the study protocol after the pilot, participants from the pilot study will not be included in the main study. Data for primary and secondary outcomes will not be assessed before the end of the main study.

In addition to the intention to treat and per protocol analyses, subgroup analyses will be performed if sufficient power for age, gender, diagnoses for sick leave, occupational category and length of previous sick leave.

In addition to the effect evaluation, qualitative studies, a feasibility/process evaluation study and a health economic evaluation (cost-effectiveness, cost-utility and cost-benefit) will be performed. The qualitative studies will be based on data from focus group discussions. The main areas for investigation will be:

* The participants' expectations to return to work before and after motivational interviewing.
* Perceived facilitators and obstacles for return to work among participants
* The perceived benefits and challenges in using motivational interview to facilitate a return to work process

Changes made Sept.29 2017: Due to slow recruitment, it was decided to leave out one of the arms from the study (TAU-1: extra phone call to employer). The extra phone call element was also taken out from the other arms where it was included. Another reason for this change was that the TAU-1 intervention arm was not ideally designed to evaluate the extra phone call. It was decided this intervention arm is better evaluated in a separate trial. Currently 12 persons are included and randomized in the trial. Those who are randomized to TAU-1 and have not received an intervention, will be randomized again. The ones randomized to TAU-1 who already have got an intervention will stop participating in the study.

Changes made Aug. 26 2019: Due to problems with implementation of the intervervention the first couple of months, it was decided to start inclusion from Jan 1st 2018 (instead of Aug 2017). The planned number of participants has not changed.

Clarification added April 25 2021. Regarding exclusion criterion unemployment: only sick listed individuals listed with an employer were identified in the sick leave registries and invited to take part in the study. That means individuals who were unemployed, self-employed or for other reasons without an employer were not included.

Conditions

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Sick Leave

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Treatment as usual

Treatment as usual "untouched". This is the standard The Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV) procedure.

Group Type OTHER

Treatment as usual (TAU-0)

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

The standard NAV procedure, which consists of a telephone call within 8 weeks to an employer who have employees on 100% sick leave, in addition to regular NAV conversations "on-demand" (not "fixed intervals") between the NAV caseworkers and the employees.

Two talks

Two standard talks (not including elements from motivational interviewing)

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Structured talks (TAU-2)

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Two structured talks (not including elements from motivational interviewing)

Motivational interviewing

Two standard talks with a motivational interviewing content.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

motivational interviewing (MI)

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Two structured talks (must have a valid motivational interviewing content).

Interventions

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Treatment as usual (TAU-0)

The standard NAV procedure, which consists of a telephone call within 8 weeks to an employer who have employees on 100% sick leave, in addition to regular NAV conversations "on-demand" (not "fixed intervals") between the NAV caseworkers and the employees.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Structured talks (TAU-2)

Two structured talks (not including elements from motivational interviewing)

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

motivational interviewing (MI)

Two structured talks (must have a valid motivational interviewing content).

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Other Intervention Names

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'untouched' non-MI MI

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Living in the county Sør-Trøndelag
* On sick leave for 8 weeks
* Current sick leave status of 50-100%

Exclusion Criteria

* no employment
* pregnancy
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

60 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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University of Bergen

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Oslo

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

National Center for Occupational Rehabilitation, Rauland

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role collaborator

Deakin University

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Norwegian University of Science and Technology

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Egil Andreas Fors, phd prof

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Locations

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Dept

Trondheim, , Norway

Site Status

Countries

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Norway

References

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Aasdahl L, Foldal VS, Standal MI, Hagen R, Johnsen R, Solbjor M, Fimland MS, Fossen H, Jensen C, Bagoien G, Halsteinli V, Fors EA. Motivational interviewing in long-term sickness absence: study protocol of a randomized controlled trial followed by qualitative and economic studies. BMC Public Health. 2018 Jun 18;18(1):756. doi: 10.1186/s12889-018-5686-0.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 29914463 (View on PubMed)

Foldal VS, Solbjor M, Standal MI, Fors EA, Hagen R, Bagoien G, Johnsen R, Hara KW, Fossen H, Lochting I, Eik H, Grotle M, Aasdahl L. Barriers and Facilitators for Implementing Motivational Interviewing as a Return to Work Intervention in a Norwegian Social Insurance Setting: A Mixed Methods Process Evaluation. J Occup Rehabil. 2021 Dec;31(4):785-795. doi: 10.1007/s10926-021-09964-9. Epub 2021 Mar 24.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 33761083 (View on PubMed)

Foldal VS, Standal MI, Aasdahl L, Hagen R, Bagoien G, Fors EA, Johnsen R, Solbjor M. Sick-listed workers' experiences with motivational interviewing in the return to work process: a qualitative interview study. BMC Public Health. 2020 Feb 28;20(1):276. doi: 10.1186/s12889-020-8382-9.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 32111199 (View on PubMed)

Provided Documents

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Document Type: Statistical Analysis Plan

View Document

Other Identifiers

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2016/2300-C

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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