None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
This study will examine feasibility aspects of a proposed larger randomised controlled trial involving a series of telephone follow-ups (TFUs) to people who have had a musculoskeletal injury with the aim of reducing subsequent injuries and improving outcomes. An Injury Liaison Interviewer/Kaiawhina Whara will contact participants by telephone during the six months following a musculoskeletal injury involving an ACC entitlement claim. These calls will include a set of questions designed to ascertain how the person is progressing with their rehabilitation, their current health status, and whether there are resources or services to which the person can be directed for additional help/support. The interviewer role will be facilitatory, e.g. they might suggest the person contacts their healthcare professional or ACC for additional support as needed. This feasibility study will examine aspects of the recruitment process and the timing, nature and content of the TFUs to inform the development of a future large randomised controlled trial.
Interventions
The intervention will involve an Injury Liaison Interviewer/Kaiawhina Whara contacting participants by telephone, with REDCap software used in the administration of the study. These calls will include a set of questions designed to ascertain how the person is progressing with their rehabilitation, their current health status (e.g., tinana/physical, hinengaro/mental and emotional, whanau/family, wairua/connectedness), and whether there are resources or services to which the person can be directed
The intervention will involve an Injury Liaison Interviewer/Kaiawhina Whara contacting participants by telephone, with REDCap software used in the administration of the study. These calls will include a set of questions designed to ascertain how the person is progressing with their rehabilitation, their current health status (e.g., tinana/physical, hinengaro/mental and emotional, whanau/family, wairua/connectedness), and whether there are resources or services to which the person can be directed for additional help/support. Interviews have been designed specifically for this study but include some questions developed by members of the research team for previous studies (e.g. the Prospective Outcomes of Injury Study), questions from the New Zealand Census (e.g. ethnicity), and the EQ-5D-5L (EuroQol Research Foundation). Positive feedback will be provided to those whose injury outcomes have improved (or not deteriorated) at subsequent interviews. Telephone Follow-Ups (TFUs) are planned to take approximately 15-20 minutes each. The interviewer role will be facilitatory, e.g. they might suggest the person contacts their healthcare professional or the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) for additional support as needed, or they may provide contact details for other relevant services such as Healthline or other helplines. The intervention will not be undertaken in a health professional capacity; Injury Liaison Interviewers/Kaiawhina Whara will be laypeople trained in the delivery of the intervention at a ~7 hour training day taken by the research team and through undertaking mock interviews with members of the research team. Written information about available support will also be sent by post to the intervention group shortly after our first TFU. TFUs are intended to be undertaken two weeks post-injury, then again at 1, 3, and 6 months post-injury. At the conclusion of the last TFU, we will ask brief questions about the timing and number of TFU’s.
Sponsors
Dr Helen Harcombe
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Prevention
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Subject)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
People aged 18 years or over from throughout NZ, newly entered on ACC’s entitlement claims register having sustained a musculoskeletal injury and had their claim accepted will be eligible to participate in the study. Inclusion criteria for Injury Liaison Interviewers/Kaiawhina Whara: must have been employed as an Injury Liaison Interviewer/Kaiawhina Whara on the study. Interviewers were required to have excellent communication, organisational and time management skills, and the ability to maintain participant confidentiality. It was preferred (but not essential) that they had experience in health-related research, undertaking research interviews and using REDCap software, and had an understanding of injury and/or rehabilitation.
Exclusion criteria
Those aged less than 18 years, those who are unable to participate in a telephone interview and those who do not speak English will be excluded from this feasibility study as will those whose claim is categorised as a ‘sensitive claim’ with ACC. Exclusion criteria for Injury Liaison Interviewers/Kaiawhina Whara: not applicable
Outcome results
None listed