Study on the relationships between persistent pain, unemployment and quality of life

• Read more on how we protect your privacy here.

Why are we doing this study?

We are doing this to get a better understanding of the impact of pain and being out of work and how we might better be able to help people with pain to return to work.

Understanding more about the impact of being unemployed with pain, and where we might be able to help, will guide the innovation of new interventions and ways to help people.

What will happen if I participate?

You will receive four questionnaires in total over a one-year period.

We will ask about your health, pain, quality of life, thoughts about work, any challenges you face in trying to return to work, and your use of health care services. You will receive a questionnaire once when you start, and then again at three, six, and 12 months. Each questionnaire should take around 30 mins to complete.

In the online form, nettskjema, we will check if you fit the criteria to be included and confirm your interest in participating.

The questionnaires may be completed online through nettskjema or by paper; we will ask you what you prefer in the beginning of nettskjema, or you can contact us and let us know your preference.

What happens to my data?

Your data will be coded before being stored and used on a secure system (and locked in a cabinet if you complete by paper). We will store identifiable information linking you to your data (so that we can contact you), but it will be encrypted before being stored, meaning that it cannot be read by someone without a special key.

Only the core research members from Kristiania University College and OsloMet have a key to identifiable information. The project will end in October 2024, although we may analyse data for 12 months after this and identifiable information will be retained for five years after the study ends for control purposes, before being erased. 

For further details about data collected and your rights under GDPR, please see our Privacy Notice.

• Link to privacy notice

Privacy

Results of the study will be published in reports and academic journals, but it will not be possible to identify you.

• Participation is voluntary. If you join, you can change your mind and withdraw your consent at any time, without giving a reason.

Information from registries

Information we will ask you for will include data from registries, dating back one year from the start of study to one year after the start of the study. We will collect the following information

• NAV: work history, sick-leave, sick-days and periods, and measure regarding benefits
• Norsk Pasientregister (NPR): Visits to specialist care (e.g., orthopaedic) and other healthcare specialists on hospitals or other institutions (e.g., psychologists)
• Kommunalt pasient- og brukerregister (KPR) and Kontroll og utbetaling av helserefusjoner (KUHR): Visit to general practitioner, physical therapist and others in primary care.

Information from NPR, KPR and KUHR include time/date, location, diagnosis, measures and treatment, and costs related to your healthcare use.

Please see our Privacy Notice for more details.

Consent

Before answering questionnaires, we will ask you to sign a consent form, where you give your consent to participate in the study and for us to collect your data.

Collection of your data also includes data from registries, that will give us additional information about your work, health and healthcare use. We will use this information to perform economic analyses. 

There is a chance that we invite you to participate in a sub-study that might interest or help you return to work.

• As a thank you, we will offer you a high street voucher of 200 NOK.