This is a two-group, cluster randomized controlled trial designed to assess a health promoting intervention in the home care sector. The intervention aims to evenly distribute the patients requiring high levels of demanding care across all workers on the units, which may lower the working strain and thus the incidence of musculoskeletal pain. The two groups in the study will be a control group and an intervention group. The intervention will last for approximately 4 months.
This is a two-group cluster randomized controlled trial to compare an organizational intervention to control. The home care units will be treated as clusters to avoid contamination within units. Control group: No intervention, their work will continue as usual without any instructions from researchers. Intervention group: The intervention will consist of the operational managers distributing the physically strenuous shifts evenly between the workers in each home care unit. This will be achieved using a tool developed in Microsoft Excel which gives an overview over how much strain we expect each shift to have and gives a score on how well the operational manager distributes the strain between employees. The intervention will last for approximately 4 months, depending on duration of pre and post measurements.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
131
Using the Goldilocks work principle we have tried to find the "just right" distribution of physical strain in the home care sector. This is an intervention to test if it possible to distribute the physical strain experienced in the home care sector in a way that may be more health promoting for the workers.
Bergheim hjemmetjeneste
Trondheim, Trøndelag, Norway
Heimdal Hjemmetjeneste
Trondheim, Trøndelag, Norway
Klæbu hjemmetjeneste
Trondheim, Trøndelag, Norway
Lade hjemmetjeneste
Trondheim, Trøndelag, Norway
Nidarvoll hjemmetjeneste
Trondheim, Trøndelag, Norway
Nidelven hjemmetjeneste
Trondheim, Trøndelag, Norway
Saupstad hjemmetjeneste
Trondheim, Trøndelag, Norway
Spongdal hjemmetjeneste
Trondheim, Trøndelag, Norway
Strinda Hjemmetjeneste
Trondheim, Trøndelag, Norway
Strindheim hjemmetjeneste
Trondheim, Trøndelag, Norway
...and 1 more locations
Between group changes in musculoskeletal pain in the neck and shoulder from pre to post measurement
The workers will rate their musculoskeletal pain in the neck and shoulder area after each working day for a week. The measurement will be repeated at the end of the intervention to assess any changes in the experience of musculoskeletal pain. The question assessing musculoskeletal pain in shoulder and neck area is phrased as "How much pain did you have in your shoulder/neck at the end of this working day?" (Translated from Norwegian).
Time frame: 7 days during baseline measurements, 7 days during post measurements
in musculoskeletal pain in the lower back from pre to post measurement
The workers will rate their musculoskeletal pain in the lower back after each working day for one week. The measurement will be repeated at the end of the intervention to assess any changes in the experience of musculoskeletal pain. The question assessing musculoskeletal pain in the lower back area is phrased as "how much pain did you have in your lower back at the end of the working day?" (Translated from Norwegian).
Time frame: 7 days during baseline measurements, 7 days during post measurements
Between group changes in the composition of time spent standing, arms elevated and trunk inclined
The difference in physical behavior composition from baseline measurements to post measurements between control and intervention group. The specific variables will be time spent standing, arms elevated, and trunk inclined.
Time frame: 7 days during baseline measurements, 7 days during post measurements
Between group changes in fatigue at end of shift
The difference between intervention and control group from pre- to post-measurements in how fatigued the workers were at the end of the shift.
Time frame: 7 days during baseline measurements, 7 days during post measurements
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