Contact information
Type
Scientific
Primary contact
Dr Mireille N.M. van Poppel
ORCID ID
Contact details
Department of Public and Occupational Health/EMGO Instituut
Van der Boechorststraat 7
Amsterdam
1081 BT
Netherlands
+31 (0)20 4448203
mnm.vanpoppel@vumc.nl
Additional identifiers
EudraCT number
ClinicalTrials.gov number
Protocol/serial number
NTR134
Study information
Scientific title
Returning to work after childbirth: the effectiveness of the first contact by an executive with an employee during maternity leave on sick leave and work disability postpartum
Acronym
Mom@Work
Study hypothesis
Many women experience health problems during the first year after childbirth.
Common postpartum problems are fatigue, disturbed sleep, postpartum depression, back and pelvic pain. Those problems are often perceived as being unavoidable and 'all in the game'. However, frequently these problems lead to limitations in daily activities and to sick leave. In the Netherlands sick leave is higher during pregnancy and the first period postpartum than during other periods. About 30% of the women were absent from work due to health problems after maternity leave in 2002.
In the Netherlands, there is no contact with an occupational physician during maternity leave, not even when women experience health problems. Furthermore, women often wait for seeking medical care for their problems, frequently until their maternity leave is almost over. Therefore, the complaints may have existed for a considerable time before an intervention starts, while early intervention after complaints seems to be important for a good prognosis.
The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of an early consultation by an executive with an employee during maternity leave on health problems and sick leave, and to assess which factors contribute to return-to-work after maternity leave.
Ethics approval
Ethics approval received from the local medical ethics committee
Study design
Randomised active-controlled parallel-group trial
Primary study design
Interventional
Secondary study design
Randomised controlled trial
Trial setting
Other
Trial type
Quality of life
Patient information sheet
Condition
Pregnancy, neonatal disorders
Intervention
The women in the intervention group will be consulted 6 weeks postpartum during maternity leave by their executive, and in some cases by a case manager or a staff member of the personnel department. This executive will phone, or visit the women. Prior to this consultation the executive receives an information package. He or she will be instructed carefully to ask questions about the women's well-being, complaints, and return to work. They have to use a checklist when doing this consultation.
When a woman has the expectation that she will not return to work after maternity leave due to medical complaints, she will have the possibility to receive a consultation by a staff member of the Occupational Health Services (OHS). The executive will phone the OHS in case of need for medical intervention (or will follow the standard sick-listed procedure of the company). The OHS will call the woman to make an appointment within one week with an occupational physician or other consultant.
When a woman has no complaints and/or expects no problem to return-to-work, the executive will do nothing. When a woman has doubts or is uncertain if she is able to return-to-work, the executive will call again after 2 weeks. The executive uses the same checklist again.
Intervention type
Other
Phase
Not Applicable
Drug names
Primary outcome measure
1. Sick leave (during pregnancy and after maternity leave; duration and frequency)
2. Costs (of the intervention, medical consumption, sick leave)
3. Stop working
Secondary outcome measures
1. Health status/quality of life
2. Complaints (pregnancy-related pelvic and back pain, fatigue and depressive complaints (postpartum depression, distress)
3. Satisfaction with intervention
4. Adaptation of working hours or work tasks
Overall trial start date
01/01/2004
Overall trial end date
01/06/2007
Reason abandoned (if study stopped)
Eligibility
Participant inclusion criteria
1. Voluntary participation (giving informed consent)
2. Age: between 18 and 45 years
3. Pregnant less than 32 weeks
4. Being employed before and after maternity leave, for a minimum of 12 hours per week
5. Good reading, writing and understanding of the Dutch language
Participant type
Patient
Age group
Adult
Gender
Female
Target number of participants
600
Participant exclusion criteria
1. Delivery before 34 weeks of pregnancy
2. Definitely not returning to work after delivery, meaning one has submitted ones resignation, or end of contract
3. Not returning to the same employer
4. Receiving a disability benefit or having submitted an application for a disability benefit
Recruitment start date
01/01/2004
Recruitment end date
01/06/2007
Locations
Countries of recruitment
Netherlands
Trial participating centre
Department of Public and Occupational Health/EMGO Instituut
Amsterdam
1081 BT
Netherlands
Sponsor information
Organisation
Vrije University Medical Centre (VUMC) (The Netherlands)
Sponsor details
EMGO-Institute and Department of Public and Occupational Health
Van der Boechorststraat 7
Amsterdam
1081 BT
Netherlands
emgo@vumc.nl
Sponsor type
University/education
Website
Funders
Funder type
Research organisation
Funder name
Body@Work TNO - Vrije University Medical Centre (VUMC) (The Netherlands)
Alternative name(s)
Funding Body Type
Funding Body Subtype
Location
Results and Publications
Publication and dissemination plan
Not provided at time of registration
Intention to publish date
Participant level data
Not provided at time of registration
Basic results (scientific)
Publication list
2007 protocol in: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17394629
Publication citations
-
Protocol
Stomp-van den Berg SG, van Poppel MN, Hendriksen IJ, Bruinvels DJ, Uegaki K, de Bruijne MC, van Mechelen W, Improving return-to-work after childbirth: design of the Mom@Work study, a randomised controlled trial and cohort study., BMC Public Health, 2007, 7, 43, doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-7-43.