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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2018 Feb 13;19(1):47.
doi: 10.1186/s12891-018-1962-5.

Protocol for the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) in Pain Trial: A randomized controlled trial investigating the effectiveness of IPS for patients with chronic pain

Lene Therese B Linnemørken  1 , Vigdis Sveinsdottir  2 , Thomas Knutzen  1 , Linn Rødevand  1   3 , Kjersti Helene Hernæs  4 , Silje Endresen Reme  5   6
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Protocol for the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) in Pain Trial: A randomized controlled trial investigating the effectiveness of IPS for patients with chronic pain

Lene Therese B Linnemørken et al. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. .

Abstract

Background: Work disability involves large costs to the society as well as to the individual. Work disability is common among people with chronic pain conditions, yet few effective interventions exist. Individual Placement and Support (IPS) is an evidence-based work rehabilitation model originally developed to help people with severe mental illness obtain and maintain employment. The effectiveness of IPS for patients with severe mental illness is well documented, but the model has never before been tested for patients with chronic pain.

Methods/design: The aim of the IPS in Pain trial is to investigate the effectiveness of IPS as an integrated part of the interdisciplinary treatment for patients with chronic pain in a hospital outpatient clinic. The study is a randomized controlled trial comparing pain treatment with integrated IPS to treatment as usual in unemployed patients suffering from various chronic pain conditions. The primary outcome of the study is labor market participation during 12 months after enrollment, and secondary outcomes include physical and mental health and well-being, collected at baseline, 6, and 12 months. Finally, there will be an additional long-term follow-up for the primary outcome, which will be collected through a brief phone interview at 24 months.

Discussion: The IPS in Pain trial will be the first report of the effectiveness of the IPS model of supported employment applied in an outpatient setting for chronic pain patients. It will thus provide important information about the effectiveness of repurposing IPS to a new patient group in great need of job support.

Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02697656 . Registered January 15th, 2016.

Keywords: Chronic pain; Coping; Individual placement and support; Integrated care; Randomized controlled trial; Supported employment; Unemployment; Vocational rehabilitation; Work disability.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ethical approval and consent to participate

The project was submitted to the Norwegian Regional Ethical Committee and therefrom referred to the Data Protection Officer at Oslo University Hospital, who approved the study (project number: 2015/14224). All the principles of the Helsinki declaration will be followed. After a complete description of the study’s process and purposes has been given, each participant will sign a declaration of voluntary participation. The right to withdraw from the study at any time without any explanation, and without any consequences for the further treatment at the clinic, will be emphasized.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

TK is the sole proprietor of IPS Norway, a company that provides IPS services and consulting services. The remaining authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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