Today we're excited to begin work on the Making it Work (TM) - Scotland study. Working with colleagues from Arthritis Research Canada, we will aim to adapt a programme developed in Canada to support people with musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions to stay in work as long as they wish to.
It is estimated that MSK conditions affect around 1 in 3 Scottish adults and these conditions can have a substantial impact on individuals’ work. There is, however, a lack of services supporting individuals with long-term MSK conditions, to help those who wish to remain working to do so. Making it Work™ is an online self-management programme developed in Canada which supports people working with inflammatory arthritis which helped individuals to feel more capable to meet their work demands and reduced the likelihood of periods of sickness absence.
Funded by the Chief Scientist Office (CSO), the Making it Work™ - Scotland study aims to expand this programme to cover a broader range of MSK conditions, as well as making sure it is fit for purpose within the UK health and social care context. Using group discussions and interviews, we will seek input from patients, employers, and healthcare professionals on which parts of the programme need to be modified for these new contexts, before using this information to work with content experts and eLearning specialists to make adaptations to the programme.
Study Co-Chief Investigator Dr LaKrista Morton said:
“We are delighted to start work on this study. The Making it Work™programme has provided much-needed support to people working with inflammatory arthritis in Canada. We’re excited to start work on adapting it so that it can help people with inflammatory and non-inflammatory MSK conditions in Scotland who are struggling with their work.”
Ultimately, this work will aim to help those with a wide range of musculoskeletal conditions to live a productive working life and remain engaged in work for as long as they wish to do so.
For more information you can visit the study’s webpage here.