Respiratory Tract InfectionsNCT05298488
The Effect of Working at Home to Reduce Risk of Respiratory Infection
A study testing Home office and Office in people with Respiratory Tract Infections and COVID-19, run by Norwegian Institute of Public Health at 1 site in Norway.
Trial summary
The researchers will recruit volunteers from various organisations who are willing and able to be randomised to either working from home for 4 weeks followed by working in the office for 4 weeks, or vice versa. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Respiratory Tract Infections, COVID-19
- What is being tested?
- Home office and Office
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 2,000 participants
- Where
- 1 siteNorway
- Study dates
- 14 Mar 2022to 30 Sep 2023
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Over 18 years old
- Employee in a company/organisation that has agreed to let their employees take part
- Willing and able to work form home for 4 weeks (most of the time)
Who cannot join
- Unable to work from home
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
Atle Fretheim, PhD contact
Norway1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Norwegian Institute of Public Health
Oslo, 0213
Petter Elstrom, PhD, petter.elstrom@fhi.no
Ingeborg H Elgersma, MA, ingeborgHess.Elgersma@fhi.no
About this study
Official title: The Effect of Working at Home Versus at the Office on Risk of Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and Other Respiratory Agents. A Randomized Controlled Trial
The researchers will recruit volunteers from various organisations who are willing and able to be randomised to either working from home for 4 weeks followed by working in the office for 4 weeks, or vice versa. The goal is to assess whether working from home has an impact on the risk of symptoms of respiratory infection.
Read the detailed description
Working in the office entails to various extent contact with colleagues, and for some it includes close contact to others when using public transport to and from work. This likely increases the risk of transmission and many workplaces along with health authorities have strongly advised employees to work from home as much as possible during the COVID-19 pandemic. On the other hand, most people are infected from other family members, and working from home increases exposure to other family members.
There are few, if any trials on the effects of teleworking/home office on the risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory agents. Studies that have looked at associations between teleworking and COVID-19 have found a negative correlation.
A systematic review from the National Institute of Occupational Health (STAMI) showed that workers working from home experienced higher work satisfaction and productivity, while also reporting negative effects on work-life balance, professional isolation and working outside core hours. Effects on health outcomes were mixed. The quality of the studies was generally judged as low.
However, working at the office could mean increased exposure to transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory agents. Thus, both interventions do pose potential benefits and harms for the participants.
Working from home is a broadly applied intervention nationally and internationally during the COVID-19 pandemic. Establishing what effect this intervention has on actual spread of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory agents could hence provide valuable insight to national and local authorities and decision-makers.
The researchers propose to conduct a trial to assess whether working at home impacts on employees' risk of respiratory infection and reduce the risk of work-related outbreaks. The aim is to reject the null hypothesis that working at home does not reduce the risk of respiratory infections or outbreaks among employees.
The researchers plan to conduct the trial as a two-arm multi-period crossover superiority trial where the employees are allocated into two equally sized groups. If this eases the recruitment of firms, the cross-over structure will be dropped.
The first and second arm will cross-over (change treatment) after four weeks. Week 1 and week 5 will be considered run-in periods for these arms, and the data collected these run-in weeks will not be used as outcome data in the statistical analysis.
The plan is to recruit 3-5 large firms with over 2000 eligible participants. Firms located in Oslo and neighbouring municipalities will be included. These are the areas That are seeing the highest incidence rates of SARS-CoV-2 in the ongoing covid-19 pandemic in Norway.
All consenting employees in the selected organizations are eligible to participate in the trial. The organizations can define in advance certain key personnel that cannot take part in the trial.
The investigators will compare the following interventions:
- Participants will strive to be working from home every day. Participants can go to the office in order to complete tasks that cannot be completed from home.
- Participants will be working from the office most days, but at least three days a week.
- Conditions
- Respiratory Tract Infections, COVID-19
- Being tested
- Home office, Office
- Keywords
- COVID-19, Infection control, Office from home, Social distancing
- Medical subject headings
- Respiratory Tract Infections, COVID-19
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Home officeBehavioural
Working from home
OfficeBehavioural
Working at the office
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Home office for first 4 weeks, and office for the last 4 weeks | Experimental | Participants will work from home for first 4 weeks, and at the office for the last 4 weeks Receives: Behavioral: Home office; Behavioral: Office |
| Office for first 4 weeks, and home office for the last 4 weeks | Active comparator | Participants will work at the office for the first 4 weeks, and from home during the last 4 weeks Receives: Behavioral: Home office; Behavioral: Office |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Respiratory infection
The proportion of participants who report having had symptoms of respiratory disease
Measured: 8 weeks
Secondary outcomes (5)
COVID-19
Proportion of participants who test positive for SARS-CoV-2 (based on both self-reported and registry data)
Measured: 8 weeks
Absenteeism
Number of days of absence from work.
Measured: 8 weeks
Secondary cases of respiratory infection
Number of secondary cases (transmission from participants in the study) or outbreaks (2 or more cases)
Measured: 8 weeks
Work-satisfaction
Self-reported work-satisfaction (Question: To what extent were you able to carry out your work in a good way during the last week? 5-unit ordinal scale from Very little to Very much).
Measured: 8 weeks
Work-life balance.
Perceived work-life balance (Question: To what extent has your work been at the expense of your own or other family members' free time?) Ordinal 5-unit scale from Very little to Very much.
Measured: 8 weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted28 Mar 2022
- Study start14 Mar 2022
- Primary completion30 Mar 2023 (estimated)
- Study completion30 Sep 2023 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Respiratory Tract InfectionsStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Model description
- The participants will be allocated to either office from home for the first four weeks, followed by working at the office for four weeks, or vice versa.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 2,000 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Norwegian Institute of Public Health
- Sponsor type
- Other government
- Collaborators
- National Institute of Occupational Health, Norway
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Atle Fretheim, PhD, Study director, Head of Centre for Epidemic Interventions Research (CEIR)
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05298488
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- CristinID2535463
- Status last verified
- Mar 2022
- First submitted
- 7 Mar 2022
- Last updated
- 28 Mar 2022
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: The intention is to enable sharing of an anonymised dataset with all interested parties.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 28 Mar 2022. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- The Effect of Working at Home Versus at the Office on Risk of Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and Other Respiratory Agents. A Randomized Controlled Trial
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05298488
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- CristinID2535463
- Conditions
- Respiratory Tract Infections, COVID-19
- Keywords
- COVID-19, Infection control, Office from home, Social distancing
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Unknown status
- Enrolment
- 2,000 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Norwegian Institute of Public HealthOther government
- Collaborators
- National Institute of Occupational Health, Norway
- Study start
- 14 Mar 2022 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 30 Mar 2023 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 30 Sep 2023 (estimated)
- First posted
- 28 Mar 2022 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The researchers will recruit volunteers from various organisations who are willing and able to be randomised to either working from home for 4 weeks followed by working in the office for 4 weeks, or vice versa. The goal is to assess whether working from home has an impact on the risk of symptoms of respiratory infection.
Detailed description
Working in the office entails to various extent contact with colleagues, and for some it includes close contact to others when using public transport to and from work. This likely increases the risk of transmission and many workplaces along with health authorities have strongly advised employees to work from home as much as possible during the COVID-19 pandemic. On the other hand, most people are infected from other family members, and working from home increases exposure to other family members.
There are few, if any trials on the effects of teleworking/home office on the risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory agents. Studies that have looked at associations between teleworking and COVID-19 have found a negative correlation.
A systematic review from the National Institute of Occupational Health (STAMI) showed that workers working from home experienced higher work satisfaction and productivity, while also reporting negative effects on work-life balance, professional isolation and working outside core hours. Effects on health outcomes were mixed. The quality of the studies was generally judged as low.
However, working at the office could mean increased exposure to transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory agents. Thus, both interventions do pose potential benefits and harms for the participants.
Working from home is a broadly applied intervention nationally and internationally during the COVID-19 pandemic. Establishing what effect this intervention has on actual spread of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory agents could hence provide valuable insight to national and local authorities and decision-makers.
The researchers propose to conduct a trial to assess whether working at home impacts on employees' risk of respiratory infection and reduce the risk of work-related outbreaks. The aim is to reject the null hypothesis that working at home does not reduce the risk of respiratory infections or outbreaks among employees.
The researchers plan to conduct the trial as a two-arm multi-period crossover superiority trial where the employees are allocated into two equally sized groups. If this eases the recruitment of firms, the cross-over structure will be dropped.
The first and second arm will cross-over (change treatment) after four weeks. Week 1 and week 5 will be considered run-in periods for these arms, and the data collected these run-in weeks will not be used as outcome data in the statistical analysis.
The plan is to recruit 3-5 large firms with over 2000 eligible participants. Firms located in Oslo and neighbouring municipalities will be included. These are the areas That are seeing the highest incidence rates of SARS-CoV-2 in the ongoing covid-19 pandemic in Norway.
All consenting employees in the selected organizations are eligible to participate in the trial. The organizations can define in advance certain key personnel that cannot take part in the trial.
The investigators will compare the following interventions:
- Participants will strive to be working from home every day. Participants can go to the office in order to complete tasks that cannot be completed from home.
- Participants will be working from the office most days, but at least three days a week.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- The participants will be allocated to either office from home for the first four weeks, followed by working at the office for four weeks, or vice versa.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Home office for first 4 weeks, and office for the last 4 weeks | Experimental | Behavioral: Home office, Behavioral: OfficeParticipants will work from home for first 4 weeks, and at the office for the last 4 weeks |
| Office for first 4 weeks, and home office for the last 4 weeks | Active comparator | Behavioral: Home office, Behavioral: OfficeParticipants will work at the office for the first 4 weeks, and from home during the last 4 weeks |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Over 18 years old
- Employee in a company/organisation that has agreed to let their employees take part
- Willing and able to work form home for 4 weeks (most of the time)
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Unable to work from home
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Home officeWorking from home | Behavioural | Home office for first 4 weeks, and office for the last 4 weeks, Office for first 4 weeks, and home office for the last 4 weeks |
| OfficeWorking at the office | Behavioural | Home office for first 4 weeks, and office for the last 4 weeks, Office for first 4 weeks, and home office for the last 4 weeks |
Primary outcome
Respiratory infection
Time frame: 8 weeks
The proportion of participants who report having had symptoms of respiratory disease
5 secondary outcomes
COVID-19
Time frame: 8 weeks
Absenteeism
Time frame: 8 weeks
Secondary cases of respiratory infection
Time frame: 8 weeks
Work-satisfaction
Time frame: 8 weeks
Work-life balance.
Time frame: 8 weeks
Results and safety
Results are not available in the source record.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 28 Mar 2022.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. The intention is to enable sharing of an anonymised dataset with all interested parties.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Atle Fretheim, PhD contact
Atle Fretheim, PhD study director
Head of Centre for Epidemic Interventions Research (CEIR)
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Home office and Office in people with Respiratory Tract Infections and COVID-19, run by Norwegian Institute of Public Health at 1 site in Norway.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: status not confirmed, as of the sponsor's last update on 28 Mar 2022. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Norway. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
Results are not available in the source record.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Petter Elstrom, PhD (+47 91149202, petter.elstrom@fhi.no), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Respiratory infection (time frame: 8 weeks). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 28 Mar 2022.