All International Classification of Primary Care 2 Diagnoses
Conditions
Keywords
independent medical evaluation, sick leave, sickness absence, physician primary care, general practitioner, family physician
Brief summary
A randomized controlled trial comparing independent medical evaluation (IME) to treatment as usual (TAU). Participants will be individuals reaching six months uninterrupted sickness absence. Treatment as usual (TAU) is normal follow-up by a general practitioner (GP).
Detailed description
A randomized controlled trial in a Norwegian context, involving an effect evaluation, a cost-benefit evaluation and a qualitative evaluation. Independent medical evaluation (IME) will be compared to treatment as usual (TAU). Independent medical evaluation (IME) will comprise a consultation with an independent general practitioner (IME GP) who will assess whether the sick listed worker has been given eligible and available opportunities in return to work follow-up in Norway. The independent medical evaluation general practitioner (IME GP) will write a short report that is sent to the treating general practitioner as input from a colleague. The report can be used in the follow-up of the sick listed participant. The participants in the treatment as usual (TAU) group will not receive any other follow-up than normal follow-up by the treating general practitioner. The qualitative evaluation will be conducted to gain insight into the experiences of the general practitioners and the participants.
Interventions
OTHERIndependent medical evaluation
The independent medical evaluation (IME) will be performed by specialists in general medicine, temporarily hired by the county welfare service. The independent medical evaluation (IME) procedure is developed by the Research Unit for General Practice at Uni Research Health in Norway.
Sponsors
Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration
NORCE Norwegian Research Centre AS
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 66 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Participants on sick leave with an International Classification of Primary Care-2 diagnosis will be recruited through the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration's (NAV) registries, when reaching 22 weeks of sick leave (full or graded).
Exclusion criteria
* People with International Classification of Disease-10 diagnoses, cancer or dementia. * People who are pregnant.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in sick leave | Measured at three and eight weeks after randomization. | Data on sickness benefits from official registers will be used to measure the primary outcome. |
Countries
Norway
Outcome results
None listed