Early Identification of Persons at Risk for Sick-leave Due to Work-related Stress
Condition: Occupation-related Stress Disorder
MeSH terms: Occupational Stress
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      A vital question for society in general and primary health care in particular is early
      identification of persons at risk of sickness absence due to work-related stress. Even though
      both the individual and society can gain a lot from the prevention of absence, not the least
      since return to work is costly once a person is sick-listed. There is, surprisingly enough,
      no established method to do this. This project is a randomized controlled study of people
      with mental disorders and physical complaints consulting primary care. The purpose is to
      evaluate if a systematic use of early identification of work-related stress, combined with
      feedback at consultation, at the primary health care centers can prevent sickness absence
      among employed women and men with common mental disorders and subjective physical health
      complaints.
    

Detailed description: 
      There is no method or established practice in primary health care when it comes to the
      important issue of early identification of people at risk of sickness absence due to
      work-related stress. But work-related stress is common and can cause ill-health and
      sick-listing. Therefore it is a vital question for society in general and primary health care
      in particular finding methods to early identify persons at such risk. Both the individual and
      society can gain a lot from the prevention of absence, not the least since return to work is
      costly once a person is sick-listed.

      Both women and men see a doctor due to the symptoms, and a majority often goes to the primary
      health care, and this long before sick-listing comes into question. It could very well be
      that neither patient, nor doctor is aware that the symptoms the patient describes are caused
      by work and the stress the patient is subject to there. There is, though, a questionnaire,
      the Work Stress Questionnaire (WSQ), that has been developed to early identify people at
      risk.

      The purpose of this randomized controlled trial is to evaluate if systematic use of the WSQ
      can reduce the number of sick-days twelve months on in women and men consulting a primary
      health care GP due to physical and mental complaints. The intervention consists of giving the
      GPs the WSQ as a tool for systematic use to early identify people at risk, and then be able
      to refer the patients to preventive health care and other measures within the primary health
      care or the patient's occupational health service.

      The project will be carried out within the Region Västra Götaland and engage around 40
      general practitioners, who will in all recruit 420 participants (210 to intervention group
      and 210 to control group). A register follow-up on sick-leave, healthcare treatment and the
      use of medicines will be made 12 months later. Three studies are planned to evaluate the
      intervention. Yet another study, a focus group study, is planned to make process evaluation
      of how the participating health care center staff perceive systematic use of the WSQ.
    

Intervention name(s): Questionnaire and feedback
Intervention type(s): Other
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Screening
Keywords: work related stress; questionnaire; early identification