Using intervention mapping to develop evidence-based toolkits that support workers on long-term sick leave and their managers
Abstract Background Managing long-term sickness absence is challenging in countries where employers and managers have the main responsibility to provide return to work support, particularly for workers with poor mental health. Whilst long-term sick leave and return to work frameworks and guidance ex...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2023-09-01
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| Series: | BMC Health Services Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-023-09952-0 |
| _version_ | 1797453397883879424 |
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| author | Veronica Varela-Mato Holly Blake Joanna Yarker Kate Godfree Guy Daly Juliet Hassard Caroline Meyer Charlotte Kershaw Steven Marwaha Kristina Newman Sean Russell Louise Thomson Fehmidah Munir |
| author_facet | Veronica Varela-Mato Holly Blake Joanna Yarker Kate Godfree Guy Daly Juliet Hassard Caroline Meyer Charlotte Kershaw Steven Marwaha Kristina Newman Sean Russell Louise Thomson Fehmidah Munir |
| author_sort | Veronica Varela-Mato |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Managing long-term sickness absence is challenging in countries where employers and managers have the main responsibility to provide return to work support, particularly for workers with poor mental health. Whilst long-term sick leave and return to work frameworks and guidance exist for employers, there are currently no structured return to work protocols for employers or for their workers encompassing best practice strategies to support a positive and timely return to work outcome. Purpose To utilise the intervention mapping (IM) protocol as a framework to develop return to work toolkits that are underpinned by relevant behaviour change theory targeting mental health to promote a positive return to work experiensce for workers on long-term sick leave. Methods This paper provides a worked example of intervention mapping (IM) to develop an intervention through a six-step process to combine theory and evidence in the development of two toolkits – one designed for managers and one to be used by workers on long-term sick leave. As part of this process, collaborative planning techniques were used to develop the intervention. A planning group was set up, through which researchers would work alongside employer, worker, and mental health professional representatives to develop the toolkits. Additionally, feedback on the toolkits were sought from the target populations of workers and managers and from wider employer stakeholders (e.g., human resource specialists). The implementation and evaluation of the toolkits as a workplace intervention were also planned. Results Two toolkits were designed following the six steps of intervention mapping. Feedback from the planning group (n = 5; psychologist, psychiatrist, person with previous experience of poor mental health, employer and charity worker) and participants (n = 14; employers = 3, wellbeing director = 1; human resources = 2, managers = 2, employees with previous experience of poor mental health = 5) target populations indicated that the toolkits were acceptable and much needed. Conclusions Using IM allowed the development of an evidence-based practical intervention, whilst incorporating the views of all the impacted stakeholder groups. The feasibility and acceptability of the toolkits and their supporting intervention components, implementation process and methods of assessment will be evaluated in a feasibility pilot randomised controlled trial. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T15:22:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3b40ed5722a649dc8981f9ccaa2cca73 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1472-6963 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T15:22:14Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Health Services Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-3b40ed5722a649dc8981f9ccaa2cca732023-11-26T12:42:51ZengBMCBMC Health Services Research1472-69632023-09-0123111410.1186/s12913-023-09952-0Using intervention mapping to develop evidence-based toolkits that support workers on long-term sick leave and their managersVeronica Varela-Mato0Holly Blake1Joanna Yarker2Kate Godfree3Guy Daly4Juliet Hassard5Caroline Meyer6Charlotte Kershaw7Steven Marwaha8Kristina Newman9Sean Russell10Louise Thomson11Fehmidah Munir12School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough UniversitySchool of Health Sciences, University of NottinghamAffinity Health at WorkSchool of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough UniversityOffice of the Provost, The British University in EgyptSchool of Medicine, University of NottinghamExecutive Office, Warwick UniversityWarwick Medical School, University of WarwickInstitute for Mental Health, School of Psychology, University of BirminghamPsychology Department, Nottingham Trent UniversityFaculty of Health and Life Sciences, Coventry UniversitySchool of Medicine, University of NottinghamSchool of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough UniversityAbstract Background Managing long-term sickness absence is challenging in countries where employers and managers have the main responsibility to provide return to work support, particularly for workers with poor mental health. Whilst long-term sick leave and return to work frameworks and guidance exist for employers, there are currently no structured return to work protocols for employers or for their workers encompassing best practice strategies to support a positive and timely return to work outcome. Purpose To utilise the intervention mapping (IM) protocol as a framework to develop return to work toolkits that are underpinned by relevant behaviour change theory targeting mental health to promote a positive return to work experiensce for workers on long-term sick leave. Methods This paper provides a worked example of intervention mapping (IM) to develop an intervention through a six-step process to combine theory and evidence in the development of two toolkits – one designed for managers and one to be used by workers on long-term sick leave. As part of this process, collaborative planning techniques were used to develop the intervention. A planning group was set up, through which researchers would work alongside employer, worker, and mental health professional representatives to develop the toolkits. Additionally, feedback on the toolkits were sought from the target populations of workers and managers and from wider employer stakeholders (e.g., human resource specialists). The implementation and evaluation of the toolkits as a workplace intervention were also planned. Results Two toolkits were designed following the six steps of intervention mapping. Feedback from the planning group (n = 5; psychologist, psychiatrist, person with previous experience of poor mental health, employer and charity worker) and participants (n = 14; employers = 3, wellbeing director = 1; human resources = 2, managers = 2, employees with previous experience of poor mental health = 5) target populations indicated that the toolkits were acceptable and much needed. Conclusions Using IM allowed the development of an evidence-based practical intervention, whilst incorporating the views of all the impacted stakeholder groups. The feasibility and acceptability of the toolkits and their supporting intervention components, implementation process and methods of assessment will be evaluated in a feasibility pilot randomised controlled trial.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-023-09952-0Return-to-workLong-term sickness absenceMental healthIntervention mappingSupportCommunication |
| spellingShingle | Veronica Varela-Mato Holly Blake Joanna Yarker Kate Godfree Guy Daly Juliet Hassard Caroline Meyer Charlotte Kershaw Steven Marwaha Kristina Newman Sean Russell Louise Thomson Fehmidah Munir Using intervention mapping to develop evidence-based toolkits that support workers on long-term sick leave and their managers BMC Health Services Research Return-to-work Long-term sickness absence Mental health Intervention mapping Support Communication |
| title | Using intervention mapping to develop evidence-based toolkits that support workers on long-term sick leave and their managers |
| title_full | Using intervention mapping to develop evidence-based toolkits that support workers on long-term sick leave and their managers |
| title_fullStr | Using intervention mapping to develop evidence-based toolkits that support workers on long-term sick leave and their managers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Using intervention mapping to develop evidence-based toolkits that support workers on long-term sick leave and their managers |
| title_short | Using intervention mapping to develop evidence-based toolkits that support workers on long-term sick leave and their managers |
| title_sort | using intervention mapping to develop evidence based toolkits that support workers on long term sick leave and their managers |
| topic | Return-to-work Long-term sickness absence Mental health Intervention mapping Support Communication |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-023-09952-0 |
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