What is the background to this study?
Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions can have a significant effect on a person’s ability to work. People with these conditions often struggle with problems like fatigue and stress at work. They may find it difficult to ask for support from their managers or employers that can help them, such as physical modifications to equipment, task adaptations, or changes to their work pattern.
Making it Work™ is an online self-management programme that was developed in Canada to support people with inflammatory arthritis with challenges at work. A previous study showed that the programme was effective at helping people to feel better about and more capable in their work.
What did we want to do?
This project aimed to adapt the Making it Work™ programme so that it can be used in the UK by people working with a wider range of conditions, including inflammatory arthritis, osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia.
What did we do?
This project involved five key stages:
- We looked at previous studies and interviewed people with a range of MSK conditions to see what issues were important. This helped us to find key areas of the existing programme which needed to be changed.
- We discussed and agreed key changes to the programme with people with a wide range of MSK conditions, employers, healthcare workers, and people who worked for MSK charities.
- We worked with design and content production teams to redevelop the programme’s content, design, and structure.
- We piloted the adapted programme by offering it to a group of people working with MSK conditions. We made further final changes based on their feedback.
- We spoke with professionals who can help direct people Making it Work™, such as healthcare workers and people working for MSK charities, to identify key issues that could affect how we roll-out the programme in the UK.
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What does the adapted programme look like?
The adapted online programme is made up of five main modules:
- Managing fatigue and physical symptoms
- Coping with stress and psychological impacts
- Communicating effectively
- Disclosing your condition
- Optimising job conditions
Each module combines information, key techniques and activities, and relaxation exercises. These modules retain the content from the original programme, updated to make it suitable for a wider range of conditions, and including more examples of people working with different conditions and work situations. Modules have been broken down into shorter sub-sections, and a modernised design helps make the programme easier to navigate.
Participants complete each module by themselves online, at their own pace, followed by new self-reflection exercises. These help people to reflect on the content and techniques within the modules, after they have had time to put lessons learned into practice.
What happens next?
The Making it Work™ team are now working hard to make the finished programme available freely online. The programme offers evidence-based support for work challenges which remain an important need for people working with MSK conditions.
We are also keen to share the lessons we have learned in adapting the original programme, which could provide key insights into how other resources which have been developed elsewhere can be adapted to a UK context.
Who funded this work?
This study was funded by the Chief Scientist Office.
Where can I read more?
To find out more about the Making it Work™ project you can visit our study pages here.