The Focus of the Study is Shift WorkCOMPRESSEDNCT05784324
COMPRESSED - A Longitudinal Study of Compressed Work Schedules Within the Health, Care and Welfare Services
An observational study of The Focus of the Study is Shift Work, run by Oslo Metropolitan University at 1 site in Norway.
Trial summary
The aim of COMPRESSED is to investigate the potential consequences of a compressed work schedule within the municipal health, care and welfare services. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Any age
- Conditions the study is for
- The Focus of the Study is Shift Work
- How many people
- 9,836 participants
- Where
- 1 siteNorway
- Study dates
- 1 Jun 2023to 12 Dec 2027
- How long will I take part?
- 3 Years
- Phase
- Observational
- 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 Any age
- All sexes
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Study population: The project consist of three study populations. 1: Employees within the municipal health, care and welfare service (registry based) 2. Employees within the municipal health, care and welfare service ( 9 836 survey respondents) 3. Users within the municipal health, care and welfare service (registry
Who may be able to join
- Employees (population I and II) and users (population III) within the municipal health, care and welfare services.
Who cannot join
- Exclusion criteria will vary between the specific papers depending on the topic of investigations (e.g. narrowing the population to specific institutional context or shift arrangements).
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
The aim of COMPRESSED is to investigate the potential consequences of a compressed work schedule within the municipal health, care and welfare services.
Read the detailed description
The aim of COMPRESSED is to investigate the potential consequences of a compressed work schedule within the municipal health, care and welfare services.
A compressed work schedule is defined by an increase in numbers of hours per day, and a reduction of number of days per week. Compressed work schedules are advocated as a tool to reduce involuntary part-time contracts, and improve employee recruitment and retention, as well as improve employee health and quality of care.
However, the empirical support of such claims is limited, mixed, and suffers from several methodological shortcomings. There is a clear lack in studies investigating the potential moderating and mediating mechanisms, despite moderating variables such as shift intensity being likely to have an impact. In collaboration with unions and employers, COMPRESSED uses a longitudinal mixed method design, to investigate the short- and long-term consequences of compressed work schedules, as well as potential moderating and mediating variables. Each of the research questions will be addressed with complimentary methods in each of the work packages.
The project COMPRESSED will examine:
In-depth narrative interviews eliciting employees', employers', and patients'/users' own perceptions of consequences, moderators and mechanisms.
A retrospective intervention study using registry data, examining compressed work schedules implemented between 2018 and 2025.
A three year longitudinal survey (2023-2025) looking at long-term effects with the possibility of adding additional years and 4) a diary study across two weeks, looking at short-term effects.
- Conditions
- The Focus of the Study is Shift Work
- Being tested
- No intervention
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
No interventionOther
No intervention
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Employees within the municipal health, care and welfare services | All employees within the municipal health, care and welfare services. Population is registerbased drawn by statistics Norway. No internvention. We investigate the relationship between caracteristics of their shift systems and potential outcomes. Receives: Other: No intervention | |
| Employees within the municipal health, care and welfare services 2 | Employees within the municipal health, care and welfare services, replying to a survey. Sample is drawn by representative unions. No internvention. We investigate the relationship between caracteristics of their shift systems and potential outcomes. Receives: Other: No intervention | |
| Users of the municipal health, care and welfare services. | Users of the municipal health, care and welfare services.No internvention. Population is register based. We investigate the relationship between caracteristics of the shift systems worked and potential outcomes for users. Receives: Other: No intervention | |
| Employees and managers within the municipal health, care and welfare services 3 | 39 nurses, health workers and ward managers in six nursing homes. No intervention. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Featigue
Fatigue General Fatigue scale from the Checklist of Individual Strength (CIS-20; Vercoulen et al., 1994)
Measured: 2027
Mental health
Hopkins Symptom Checklist (SCL-5)
Measured: 2027
Generell helse
The general health measure from the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) (Ware, 1992)
Measured: 2027
Sickness absence
self-repport and regestry data
Measured: 2027
Quality of care
From COPSOQ
Measured: 2027
Care left undone
adapted from (Senek et al., 2020) and a measure by (Ball, Murrells, Rafferty, Morrow, \& Griffiths, 2014) informed by the validated Basel Extent of Rationing of Nursing scale (Schubert et al., 2008).
Measured: 2027
Intention to quit
(Kuvaas, 2006).
Measured: 2027
Occupational commitment
(Tam, Korczynski, \& Frenkel, 2002)
Measured: 2027
Regestry-data
We will attempt to measure 1. Health, 2 recruitment and retention and 3. Quality of care, using registry data. And important part of the project will be to explore how these aspects are best measured using registry data. Their final operationalization is therefore not set.
Measured: 2027
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted24 Mar 2023
- Study start1 Jun 2023
- Primary completionJun 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion12 Dec 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for The Focus of the Study is Shift WorkStudies 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
- Observational
- Observational model
- Other
- Time perspective
- Other
- Enrolment
- 9,836 participants (actual)
- Target duration
- 3 Years
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Oslo Metropolitan University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- The Research Council of Norway, University of Oslo, Maastricht University
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05784324
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 202316
- Acronym
- COMPRESSED
- Status last verified
- Oct 2026
- First submitted
- 20 Dec 2022
- Last updated
- 13 Oct 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 13 Oct 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- COMPRESSED - A Longitudinal Study of Compressed Work Schedules Within the Health, Care and Welfare Services
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05784324
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- COMPRESSED / 202316
- Conditions
- The Focus of the Study is Shift Work
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Active, not recruiting
- Enrolment
- 9,836 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Oslo Metropolitan UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- The Research Council of Norway, University of Oslo, Maastricht University
- Study start
- 1 Jun 2023 (actual)
- Primary completion
- Jun 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 12 Dec 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 24 Mar 2023 (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 aim of COMPRESSED is to investigate the potential consequences of a compressed work schedule within the municipal health, care and welfare services.
Detailed description
The aim of COMPRESSED is to investigate the potential consequences of a compressed work schedule within the municipal health, care and welfare services.
A compressed work schedule is defined by an increase in numbers of hours per day, and a reduction of number of days per week. Compressed work schedules are advocated as a tool to reduce involuntary part-time contracts, and improve employee recruitment and retention, as well as improve employee health and quality of care.
However, the empirical support of such claims is limited, mixed, and suffers from several methodological shortcomings. There is a clear lack in studies investigating the potential moderating and mediating mechanisms, despite moderating variables such as shift intensity being likely to have an impact. In collaboration with unions and employers, COMPRESSED uses a longitudinal mixed method design, to investigate the short- and long-term consequences of compressed work schedules, as well as potential moderating and mediating variables. Each of the research questions will be addressed with complimentary methods in each of the work packages.
The project COMPRESSED will examine:
In-depth narrative interviews eliciting employees', employers', and patients'/users' own perceptions of consequences, moderators and mechanisms.
A retrospective intervention study using registry data, examining compressed work schedules implemented between 2018 and 2025.
A three year longitudinal survey (2023-2025) looking at long-term effects with the possibility of adding additional years and 4) a diary study across two weeks, looking at short-term effects.
Study design
- Observational model
- Other
- Time perspective
- Other
- Target follow-up
- 3 Years
- Number of arms
- 4
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Employees within the municipal health, care and welfare services | – | Other: No interventionAll employees within the municipal health, care and welfare services. Population is registerbased drawn by statistics Norway. No internvention. We investigate the relationship between caracteristics of their shift systems and potential outcomes. |
| Employees within the municipal health, care and welfare services 2 | – | Other: No interventionEmployees within the municipal health, care and welfare services, replying to a survey. Sample is drawn by representative unions. No internvention. We investigate the relationship between caracteristics of their shift systems and potential outcomes. |
| Users of the municipal health, care and welfare services. | – | Other: No interventionUsers of the municipal health, care and welfare services.No internvention. Population is register based. We investigate the relationship between caracteristics of the shift systems worked and potential outcomes for users. |
| Employees and managers within the municipal health, care and welfare services 3 | – | –39 nurses, health workers and ward managers in six nursing homes. No intervention. |
Who may qualify
- Sex
- All
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- The project consist of three study populations. 1: Employees within the municipal health, care and welfare service (registry based) 2. Employees within the municipal health, care and welfare service ( 9 836 survey respondents) 3. Users within the municipal health, care and welfare service (registry
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Employees (population I and II) and users (population III) within the municipal health, care and welfare services.
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Exclusion criteria will vary between the specific papers depending on the topic of investigations (e.g. narrowing the population to specific institutional context or shift arrangements).
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 |
|---|---|---|
| No interventionNo intervention | Other | Employees within the municipal health, care and welfare services, Employees within the municipal health, care and welfare services 2, Users of the municipal health, care and welfare services. |
Primary outcome
Featigue
Time frame: 2027
Fatigue General Fatigue scale from the Checklist of Individual Strength (CIS-20; Vercoulen et al., 1994)
Mental health
Time frame: 2027
Hopkins Symptom Checklist (SCL-5)
Generell helse
Time frame: 2027
The general health measure from the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) (Ware, 1992)
Sickness absence
Time frame: 2027
self-repport and regestry data
Quality of care
Time frame: 2027
From COPSOQ
Care left undone
Time frame: 2027
adapted from (Senek et al., 2020) and a measure by (Ball, Murrells, Rafferty, Morrow, \& Griffiths, 2014) informed by the validated Basel Extent of Rationing of Nursing scale (Schubert et al., 2008).
Intention to quit
Time frame: 2027
(Kuvaas, 2006).
Occupational commitment
Time frame: 2027
(Tam, Korczynski, \& Frenkel, 2002)
Regestry-data
Time frame: 2027
We will attempt to measure 1. Health, 2 recruitment and retention and 3. Quality of care, using registry data. And important part of the project will be to explore how these aspects are best measured using registry data. Their final operationalization is therefore not set.
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 13 Oct 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of The Focus of the Study is Shift Work, run by Oslo Metropolitan University 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 1 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: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 13 Oct 2026. 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?
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?
Featigue (time frame: 2027). The study lists 9 primary outcomes in all. 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 13 Oct 2026; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 31 Oct 2026.