WORKWELL: Testing work advice for people with arthritis
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A randomised controlled trial of job retention vocational rehabilitation for employed people with inflammatory arthritis: the WORKWELL trial.
IRAS ID
252583
Contact name
Yeliz Prior
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Salford
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
21761, Arthritis Research UK ("Versus Arthritis")
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 9 months, days
Research summary
Within ten years of diagnosis, half of employed people with inflammatory arthritis (IA) have to stop working. This can contribute to physical, psychological and financial problems. People with job modifications are less likely to lose their job but many employed people with arthritis don’t get advice on what can be done and how to make changes. We are testing a vocational (work) rehabilitation (VR) programme (the WORKWELL programme) for employed people with IA who are experiencing problems at work because of their arthritis. WORKWELL consists of a structured work assessment, identifying the person’s priority work problems, and collaborating with them to identify work solutions, job modifications and providing advice and training on self-management at work. If the person so wishes, and it is appropriate, a work site visit can be conducted to see the person working and to meet with their employer/ line manager to discuss any changes to their work to make it easier. We want to see if WORKWELL reduces employed people with IA’s problems at work, their risk of losing their job and is cost-effective. We will ask employed people with IA attending Rheumatology out-patient or occupational therapy clinics to take part. Everyone (240 people) will get written work self-help information. Half will also get individualized advice and support (for about 4.5 hours spread over 3 to 4 months) from a WORKWELL-trained therapist to help resolve their work issues. We will ask people to complete study questionnaires (in their own time) when they: start in the trial, 6 and 12 months later. We will interview about 15 people who received WORKWELL to find out their views about it. We will also interview therapists and their line-managers to identify their views about the WORKWELL training and delivering WORKWELL in practice.
REC name
West Midlands - Solihull Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/WM/0327
Date of REC Opinion
15 Nov 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion