Employment and Arthritis: Making it Work
MIW
1 other identifier
interventional
528
1 country
1
Brief Summary
The investigators plan to conduct a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness and the cost effectiveness of an on-line eLearning program (entitled Employment and Arthritis: Making it Work) designed to help people with inflammatory arthritis stay employed. The program also includes assessments with 1) an occupational therapist, and 2) a vocational rehabilitation counsellor at the end of the program to help participants identify and obtain necessary changes at work. People from three provinces will be recruited from collaborators' patient and program recipient lists. The study group will receive the program intervention and the control group will receive "usual care" and printed educational material. All participants will be followed for five years. The effectiveness of the program at improving at work productivity and reducing work cessation will be evaluated compared to a control group receiving printed material on employment and arthritis.
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at P75+ for not_applicable rheumatoid-arthritis
Started Jun 2013
Longer than P75 for not_applicable rheumatoid-arthritis
1 active site
Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.
Trial Relationships
Click on a node to explore related trials.
Study Timeline
Key milestones and dates
First Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
April 13, 2012
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
May 14, 2013
CompletedStudy Start
First participant enrolled
June 1, 2013
CompletedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
March 1, 2025
CompletedStudy Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
May 1, 2027
ExpectedMay 1, 2026
April 1, 2026
11.8 years
April 13, 2012
April 27, 2026
Conditions
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (3)
Efficacy analysis of at work productivity
Primary outcome for efficacy analysis of at-work productivity will be measured using the Work Instability Scale (WIS)
2 years post intervention
Efficacy analysis of work cessation
Primary outcome for efficacy analysis of work cessation is time to complete work cessation, defined as complete cessation of work due to any reason, for at least six months.
Over 5 years of follow up
Cost effectiveness analysis of at work productivity
Primary outcome for cost effectiveness analysis of at work productivity will be measured using the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment (WPAI)
2 years post intervention
Secondary Outcomes (9)
Temporary work cessation
Up to 5 years
Occasional work absence
Up to 5 years
Reduction in usual amount of time worked
Up to 5 years
Changes in employment risk factors
Up to 5 years
At-work productivity
Up to 5 years
- +4 more secondary outcomes
Study Arms (2)
Intervention Group
ACTIVE COMPARATORThe intervention group will participate in the on-line eLearning program, an ergonomic assessment by an Occupational Therapist and job retention vocational counselling by a Vocational Rehabilitation Counsellor
Control Group
NO INTERVENTIONThe control group will receive "usual care" and receive printed educational materials about work and arthritis.
Interventions
A ten week on-line eLearning program designed to help people with inflammatory arthritis stay employed. The program consists of 1) 5 interactive web-based eLearning modules that participants will complete individually in between the weekly group sessions, 2) 5 weekly group sessions conducted as virtual real-time web-based group meetings led by a trained facilitator, 3) asynchronous communications such as a message board to facilitate additional interactions among participants, 4) consultations with an occupational therapist (in-person)for an ergonomic assessment, and a vocational rehabilitation counsellor (on-line consultation using web technology) for job retention vocational counselling.
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if:
- Between ages 18 and 59 years
- Able to read and write English
- Have inflammatory arthritis confirmed by a rheumatologist (Rheumatoid Arthritis, Ankylosing Spondylitis, Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic, Psoriatic Arthritis, Other Connective Tissue Diseases and Spondylarthropathy)
- Have access to a computer, a web-cam, a headset and a printer, or willingness to purchase these items
- Are willing to travel to Vancouver, Kelowna, Victoria, Prince Rupert, Prince George, Cranbrook or Kamloops, Calgary, Toronto, Newmarket or Brampton for one visit with an occupational therapist
You may not qualify if:
- Individuals who are not working
- Individuals on sick leave, short term or long term work disability
- Students
- People performing unpaid work such as volunteer work or taking care of family
- People planning to retire in the next six years
- Individuals unable to provide informed consent
- Individuals living outside of British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
- University of British Columbialead
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)collaborator
- University of Torontocollaborator
- University of Calgarycollaborator
- Simon Fraser Universitycollaborator
Study Sites (1)
Arthritis Research Centre
Richmond, British Columbia, V6X 2C7, Canada
Related Publications (1)
Carruthers EC, Rogers P, Backman CL, Goldsmith CH, Gignac MA, Marra C, Village J, Li LC, Esdaile JM, Lacaille D. "Employment and arthritis: making it work" a randomized controlled trial evaluating an online program to help people with inflammatory arthritis maintain employment (study protocol). BMC Med Inform Decis Mak. 2014 Jul 21;14:59. doi: 10.1186/1472-6947-14-59.
PMID: 25043631DERIVED
MeSH Terms
Conditions
Interventions
Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Study Officials
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Diane Lacaille, MD, FRCPC, MHSc
University of British Columbia and Arthritis Research Centre
Study Design
- Study Type
- interventional
- Phase
- not applicable
- Allocation
- RANDOMIZED
- Masking
- NONE
- Purpose
- SUPPORTIVE CARE
- Intervention Model
- PARALLEL
- Sponsor Type
- OTHER
- Responsible Party
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
- PI Title
- Principal Investigator
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
April 13, 2012
First Posted
May 14, 2013
Study Start
June 1, 2013
Primary Completion
March 1, 2025
Study Completion (Estimated)
May 1, 2027
Last Updated
May 1, 2026
Record last verified: 2026-04