Can digital health counseling reduce sick leave?

Can digital health counseling reduce sick leave? A cluster-randomized controlled trial

Status

Recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN15074822

Enrollment

1000

Registered

2025-05-06

Start date

2025-05-07

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2026-03-16

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Reduction of sick leave related to musculoskeletal disorders, mental health conditions, and lifestyle diseases among employees with a history of high sick leave Other

Interventions

Current interventions of 30/06/2025: This study is a cluster-randomized controlled trial evaluating the effect of digital health counseling on sick leave. Clusters within the participating companies a

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

18 Years to 75 Years

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. Aged 18 years or older 2. Employed at a participating company 3. Employers in the highest 20% of sick leave in the company over the last year (and minimum 10% sick leave on average) 4. Sick leave related to musculoskeletal disorders, mental health conditions, or lifestyle-related diseases 5. Able to provide informed consent 6. Sufficient language proficiency to understand and respond to study materials and counseling sessions 7. Access to a smartphone or computer with an internet connection for digital participation

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: Does not meet the inclusion criteria

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Sick leave is measured in days using employer-reported absence records at baseline, and at 4, 8, and 12 months	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
1. Self-reported sick leave (including self-certified leave) measured using a digital questionnaire at baseline and 4, 8, and 12 months 2. Receipt of work assessment allowance (AAP) or disability benefits measured using employer records at baseline and 4, 8, and 12 months 3. Company-level sick leave and turnover measured using aggregated employer reports at baseline and 4, 8, and 12 months 4. Physical health and mental health measured using patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) via a digital questionnaire at baseline and 4, 8, and 12 months: 4.1. Questions from Statistics Norway and in-house questions on work time and sick leave 4.2. RAND 36-Item Short Form Health Survey for health-related quality of life 4.3. Bergen Insomnia Scale for sleep 4.4. Questions concerning diet, tobacco, alcohol and physical activity from the questionnaires used in the HUNT study - a longitudinal population health study in Norway of 250,000 people since 1984 5. Physical activity and sleep measured using activity trackers at baseline and 4, 8, and 12 months 6. Intervention adherence measured using activity logs and coach reports in the ABEL digital platform throughout the 12-month intervention period	—

Measure

Time frame

1. Self-reported sick leave (including self-certified leave) measured using a digital questionnaire at baseline and 4, 8, and 12 months 2. Receipt of work assessment allowance (AAP) or disability benefits measured using employer records at baseline and 4, 8, and 12 months 3. Company-level sick leave and turnover measured using aggregated employer reports at baseline and 4, 8, and 12 months 4. Physical health and mental health measured using patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) via a digital questionnaire at baseline and 4, 8, and 12 months: 4.1. Questions from Statistics Norway and in-house questions on work time and sick leave 4.2. RAND 36-Item Short Form Health Survey for health-related quality of life 4.3. Bergen Insomnia Scale for sleep 4.4. Questions concerning diet, tobacco, alcohol and physical activity from the questionnaires used in the HUNT study - a longitudinal population health study in Norway of 250,000 people since 1984 5. Physical activity and sleep measured using activity trackers at baseline and 4, 8, and 12 months 6. Intervention adherence measured using activity logs and coach reports in the ABEL digital platform throughout the 12-month intervention period

—

Countries

Norway

Contacts

Public ContactTorstein Dalen-Lorentsen

torstein.dalen@sintef.no+47 (0)93 84 18 44

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Mar 20, 2026