Musculoskeletal DiseasesExpert@WorkNCT05575908
Expert@Work - Effectiveness of a Digital Expert Team on Return to Work
A study testing Digital expert team in people with Musculoskeletal Diseases and Mental Disorder, run by St. Olavs Hospital at 4 sites in Norway.
Trial summary
Long-term sick leave is a challenge in Norway, and the healthcare and labor- and welfare services are often not coordinated in helping the sick-listed employees return to work. In this study, the investigators want to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention where an expert team provides advice for an… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 60 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Musculoskeletal Diseases, Mental Disorder
- What is being tested?
- Digital expert team
- Type of treatment
- Surgery or procedure
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 170 participants
- Where
- 4 sitesNorway
- Study dates
- 13 Oct 2022to 31 Dec 2028
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
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 to 60 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Sick-listed minimum 50% between 11 and 20 weeks
- Musculoskeletal disorder and/or common mental disorder
- Living in the county of Trøndelag or Møre- og Romsdal
Who cannot join
- Specific conditions such as fracture, trauma, infections, malignancy, dislocations, etc.
- Serious mental conditions or another serious disease that makes participation difficult
- Most likely to return to work within 2 weeks
- Not speaking/reading Norwegian
Trial locations and contacts
4 sites in 1 country.
Norway4 sites
Ålesund sjukehus
Ålesund, Midt-Norge, 6017
Sykehuset Levanger
Levanger, Midt-Norge, 7600
Molde Sjukehus
Molde, Midt-Norge, 6412
St. Olavs hospital HF
Trondheim, Midt-Norge, 7006
About this study
Long-term sick leave is a challenge in Norway, and the healthcare and labor- and welfare services are often not coordinated in helping the sick-listed employees return to work. In this study, the investigators want to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention where an expert team provides advice for an individualized patient pathway based on information from a digital questionnaire and a video meeting with the sick-listed employee and the participant's general practitioner. The patient pathway should include both healthcare and labor- and welfare services measures.
Sick-listed patients with musculoskeletal- and/or common mental disorders are invited to join the study. They will receive a digital questionnaire and be randomized to either treatment as usual or personalized advice from an expert team. The team will be put together based on the response from the individual's questionnaire.
The investigators will evaluate the effect on return to work and the use of health care services 12 months after the intervention.
- Conditions
- Musculoskeletal Diseases, Mental Disorder
- Being tested
- Digital expert team
- Medical subject headings
- Musculoskeletal Diseases, Mental Disorders
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Digital expert teamProcedure or surgery
A digital team will be appointed based on the participant's answers in the digital screening questionnaire. Members of the team can be specialists in Physical and rehabilitation medicine, psychologist, physiotherapist, social workers, and consultants in the labor- and welfare administration. The general practitioner will also be invited to the meeting.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Digital expert team | Experimental | The participants allocated to this arm will receive personalized advice from an expert team. The participants will have one video meeting with the team and receive a written report. Receives: Procedure: Digital expert team |
| Treatment as usual | No intervention | The participants will answer a digital questionnaire and will get normal follow-up from his/her general practitioner and labor- and welfare administration (NAV). |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Return to work
Time to return to work within 12 months for at least 4 consecutive weeks
Measured: 12 months
Secondary outcomes (2)
Cummulative sickness abscense
Cummulateive sickness abscense during 12 month follow-up
Measured: 12 months
Healthcare utilisation
If feasible; data on healthcare service utilisation. Healthcare utilisation will be defined as the total number of days with healthcare contacts occurring within 12 months after inclusion.
Measured: 12 months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted12 Oct 2022
- Study start13 Oct 2022
- Primary completion31 Dec 2025
- Study completion31 Dec 2028 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Musculoskeletal DiseasesStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by St. Olavs HospitalThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- 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
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Sick-listed employees with musculoskeletal disorders and/or common mental disorders will receive an invitation to the study from the labor-and welfare administration. Individuals who consent to participate will be allocated to either treatment as usual or personalized advice from an expert-team.
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 170 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- St. Olavs Hospital
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Gunn Hege Marchand, PhD, Study director, St. Olavs hospital HF
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05575908
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2021/11991
- Acronym
- Expert@Work
- Status last verified
- Sep 2026
- First submitted
- 21 Sep 2022
- Last updated
- 28 Sep 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 28 Sep 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Expert@Work - Effectiveness of a Digital Expert Team on Return to Work
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05575908
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- Expert@Work / 2021/11991
- Conditions
- Musculoskeletal Diseases, Mental Disorder
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Active, not recruiting
- Enrolment
- 170 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- St. Olavs HospitalUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration
- Study start
- 13 Oct 2022 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 Dec 2025 (actual)
- Study completion
- 31 Dec 2028 (estimated)
- First posted
- 12 Oct 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.
Long-term sick leave is a challenge in Norway, and the healthcare and labor- and welfare services are often not coordinated in helping the sick-listed employees return to work. In this study, the investigators want to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention where an expert team provides advice for an individualized patient pathway based on information from a digital questionnaire and a video meeting with the sick-listed employee and the participant's general practitioner. The patient pathway should include both healthcare and labor- and welfare services measures.
Sick-listed patients with musculoskeletal- and/or common mental disorders are invited to join the study. They will receive a digital questionnaire and be randomized to either treatment as usual or personalized advice from an expert team. The team will be put together based on the response from the individual's questionnaire.
The investigators will evaluate the effect on return to work and the use of health care services 12 months after the intervention.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- Sick-listed employees with musculoskeletal disorders and/or common mental disorders will receive an invitation to the study from the labor-and welfare administration. Individuals who consent to participate will be allocated to either treatment as usual or personalized advice from an expert-team.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Digital expert team | Experimental | Procedure: Digital expert teamThe participants allocated to this arm will receive personalized advice from an expert team. The participants will have one video meeting with the team and receive a written report. |
| Treatment as usual | No intervention | –The participants will answer a digital questionnaire and will get normal follow-up from his/her general practitioner and labor- and welfare administration (NAV). |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 60 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Sick-listed minimum 50% between 11 and 20 weeks
- Musculoskeletal disorder and/or common mental disorder
- Living in the county of Trøndelag or Møre- og Romsdal
Key exclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Specific conditions such as fracture, trauma, infections, malignancy, dislocations, etc.
- Serious mental conditions or another serious disease that makes participation difficult
- Most likely to return to work within 2 weeks
- Not speaking/reading Norwegian
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Digital expert teamA digital team will be appointed based on the participant's answers in the digital screening questionnaire. Members of the team can be specialists in Physical and rehabilitation medicine, psychologist, physiotherapist, social workers, and consultants in the labor- and welfare administration. The general practitioner will also be invited to the meeting. | Procedure or surgery | Digital expert team |
Primary outcome
Return to work
Time frame: 12 months
Time to return to work within 12 months for at least 4 consecutive weeks
2 secondary outcomes
Cummulative sickness abscense
Time frame: 12 months
Healthcare utilisation
Time frame: 12 months
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 28 Sep 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
Related trials for Musculoskeletal Diseases
Active, not recruitingPhase 3
A Research Study to Evaluate the Effects of a New Oral Medicine Called Cenerimod in Adults With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic
Active, not recruitingPhase 1
Safety and Pharmacokinetics of LPX-TI641 in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Psoriatic Arthritis
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA)
Active, not recruitingPhase 3
A Research Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Cenerimod in Subjects Suffering From Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic
Not yet recruitingObservational study
Clinical Genetics Branch Eligibility Screening Survey
Melanoma, Li-Fraumeni Syndrome
Recruiting
Oral Nutritional Optimization in Total Joint Arthroplasty
Osteoarthritis
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.
Gunn Hege Marchand, PhD study director
St. Olavs hospital HF
4 sites in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Digital expert team in people with Musculoskeletal Diseases and Mental Disorder, run by St. Olavs Hospital at 4 sites 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 4 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: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 28 Sep 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 4 sites 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?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Return to work (time frame: 12 months). 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 Sep 2026.