Expert@Work - Effectiveness of a Digital Expert Team on Return to Work

Not Applicable

Active, not recruiting

• Conditions: Mental Disorder; Musculoskeletal Diseases

• Registration Number: NCT05575908
• Lead Sponsor: St. Olavs Hospital

Brief Summary

Long-term sick leave is a challenge in Norway, and the healthcare and labor- and welfare services are often not coordinated in helping the sick-listed employees return to work. In this study, the investigators want to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention where an expert team provides advice for an individualized patient pathway based on information from a digital questionnaire and a video meeting with the sick-listed employee and the participant's general practitioner. The patient pathway should include both healthcare and labor- and welfare services measures.

Sick-listed patients with musculoskeletal- and/or common mental disorders are invited to join the study. They will receive a digital questionnaire and be randomized to either treatment as usual or personalized advice from an expert team. The team will be put together based on the response from the individual's questionnaire.

The investigators will evaluate the effect on return to work and the use of health care services 12 months after the intervention.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2022-09-21
• Study First Submitted QC: 2022-10-10
• Study First Posted: 2022-10-12
• Study Start: 2022-10-13
• Status Verified: 2025-05
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-05-13
• Last Update Posted: 2025-05-16
• Primary Completion: 2025-12-31
• Study Completion: 2026-12-31

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 170

Inclusion Criteria

• Sick-listed minimum 50% between 11 and 20 weeks
• Musculoskeletal disorder and/or common mental disorder
• Living in the county of Trøndelag or Møre- og Romsdal

Exclusion Criteria

• Specific conditions such as fracture, trauma, infections, malignancy, dislocations, etc.
• Serious mental conditions or another serious disease that makes participation difficult
• Most likely to return to work within 2 weeks
• Not speaking/reading Norwegian

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Return to work	12 months	Time to return to work within 12 months for at least 4 consecutive weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Function	12 months	Approvement in function measured by Versus Arthritis Musculoskeletal Health Questionnaire (MSK-HQ). The MSK-HQ is scored on a range of 0-56, with a better score indicating better MSK-HQ health status
Change in anxiety symptoms	12 months	Improvement in anxiety symptoms measured by Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7). GAD-7 is scored on a range of 0-21, with higher score indicating more serious symptoms
Change in pain	12 months	Change in pain measured on a numeric rating scale (0-10), with a higher score indicating more pain
Change in depression symptoms	12 months	Improvement in depression symptoms measured by Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). PHQ-9 is scored on a range of 0-27, with higher score indicating more serious symptoms
Days lost from work	12 months	Lost workdays during one year after intervention

Trial Locations

Locations (4)

Sykehuset Levanger; 🇳🇴 Levanger, Midt-Norge, Norway

Molde Sjukehus; 🇳🇴 Molde, Midt-Norge, Norway

St. Olavs hospital HF; 🇳🇴 Trondheim, Midt-Norge, Norway

Ålesund sjukehus; 🇳🇴 Ålesund, Midt-Norge, Norway