Research on measures to reduce workplace sickness absence - Protocol for evidence and gap map

Summary

The rate of sickness absence among Norwegian workers is high relative to other countries. The current national letter of intent regarding a more inclusive working life (‘IA-avtalen’) aims to reduce the number of people in Norway who have sickness absence.In 2021, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health published an Evidence and Gap Map (EGMs) on measures to reduce sickness absence. We aim to update this EGM with broader inclusion criteria and no limitations on the duration of sickness absence. The purpose of the update is to get an overview of the research on interventions, approaches, offers or schemes to reduce sickness absence, and to identify knowledge gaps.

EGMs are a systematic evidence synthesis product that displays the available evidence relevant to a broad research question. We will conduct systematic literature searches in electronic databases. Reviewers will screen retrieved references to assess whether they meet our inclusion criteria. We will code the included studies in the digital tool EPPI-Reviewer in accordance with a predefined framework. We will present the results in a report and as an interactive web-based evidence and gap map.