Towards a sustainable healthy working life among health care workers: A randomized controlled trial.

Background:

The nature of work has changed over recent years due to globalization and information technologies (the ‘new economy’) in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, and work-based lifelong learning is required. Moreover, the more dynamic market and shorter product cycles have resulted in fewer jobs, with frequent job changes over a working
lifetime. To keep workers in the labour market during the coming decades, employers should invest in education for and training of their employees, and the implementation of policies and working methods to enable workers to have the necessary competencies for longer working lives. Due to these changes in the labour market, the employee-employer relationship has evolved from one of
mutual loyalty to one based on personal gain. Workers need to be aware of their own responsibility and decisive role in creating and/or maintaining a healthy working life. A strategy to solve problems to gear work demands and activities to the personal capability, in order to maintain and promote sustainable work participation, with regard to ageing and decreased health condition is required.



Objective:

To determine the effectiveness of the intervention ‘SOLFIT’ towards a sustainable healthy working life compared to daily practice (care as usual) among health care workers.



Study population:

Approximately 300 health-care workers (all ages) and 30 supervisors will participate in this study.



Study design:

A cluster randomized controlled trial with randomization at the level of the supervisor. Supervisors will be randomly assigned to the intervention or the control group. Supervisors in the intervention group will receive a training about the problem solving technique. The workers in the intervention group will be guided to create an inventory towards sustainable health with the help of a step-by-step booklet based on problem-solving approaches, a meeting with the supervisor. Based on these steps they will create an action plan which consists of a description of planned actions in the next year. Supervisors in the control group continue their usual practice.



Outcome measures:

The outcome measures of the study are vitality, perceived health status, work ability, self-efficacy and work engagement. Measurements take place at baseline and 3, 6, and 12 months after baseline. A process evaluation will be performed at supervisor level (adherence to the protocol, support supervisor, situational leadership) and workers level (satisfaction with ‘SOLFIT’).

The solution focused intervention ‘SOLFIT’ is a strategy to increase the awareness of workers with regard to their role and responsibility towards a sustainable healthy working life with supervisor support on process level. The primary aim of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the problem-solving approach compared to care as usual among health care workers.

Baseline questionnaire and follow-up questionnaires at 3, 6 and 12 months after baseline measurement.

At the level of the supervisor:

The supervisor will receive a training (2 sessions of 4 hours). The first session focused on knowledge regarding sustainable health and on problem solving techniques. The second session consists of an active training module with role play (actor) with attention to basic strategies for supporting and stimulating the worker to engage in problem solving activities. The supervisor will be trained on how to present himself as a source of support for the worker by strengthening the autonomy of the worker.

Supervisors in the control group receive no training and continue their usual practice (care as usual).



At the level of the worker:

Workers in the intervention group receive a step-by-step booklet. The content of the booklet is based on the problem-solving technique and the first step is designed to make an inventory (clarify and explore) of work-related problems, opportunities, support needs, personal development and career aspirations. The second step supports workers to determine the degree of changeability of the things that come up in the intervention. This information is the input for a meeting with the supervisor about sustainable employability. After the dialogue with the supervisor the worker will finish an action plan, which consist of a detailed information of planned actions towards sustainable employability in the coming year. Workers in the control group will continue their usual practice.