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Pain SMART: Shared Medical Appointments to Refocus Treatment

Not Applicable
Conditions
Chronic Pain
Interventions
Behavioral: Pain SMART
Other: minimally enhanced usual care
Registration Number
NCT03707886
Lead Sponsor
VA Connecticut Healthcare System
Brief Summary

The proposed study will test whether a shared medical appointment for Veterans with chronic pain is feasible and acceptable to veteran patients and their providers. The shared medical appointment, called Pain SMART (Shared Medical Appointments to Refocus Treatment), is a brief, one-visit shared medical appointment where providers in primary care and a behavioral health specialist (e.g., a psychologist) meet with a group of patients with chronic pain. The overall goal of Pain SMART is to improve pain care for Veterans. Veterans will be randomized in equal numbers to either attend a Pain SMART visit or to receive educational information in the mail. The primary outcome of this pilot study is whether or not the shared medical appointment is feasible and acceptable to patients and providers.

Detailed Description

Objectives: The primary purpose of this study is to understand the feasibility and acceptability of a shared medical appointment for patients with chronic pain called Pain SMART (Shared Medical Appointments to Refocus Treatment).

Intervention: The overall goal of Pain SMART is to increase the use of evidenced-based pain management strategies including pain self-management and other non-pharmacological pain management approaches. Pain SMART is a brief one-visit shared medical appointment delivered by primary care team members (e.g., primary care providers) and a behavioral health specialist (e.g., a clinical health psychologist). Pain SMART uses motivational interviewing to enhance effective and mutually rewarding communication among providers and Veterans to increase pain self-management, including uptake of non-pharmacological approaches to pain management, to ultimately enhance quality of care and Veteran functioning.

Study Participants: Primary care providers/staff will be recruited to participate in Pain SMART visits as shared medical appointment facilitators. Additionally, up to 80 veterans with chronic pain will be recruited.

Research Design: This study is a randomized pilot study in which Veteran participants are randomized to attend Pain SMART or to a minimally enhanced usual care condition (i.e., receive an educational brochure via mail). Veteran participants will be randomized in equal numbers to both conditions. Data collected from Veteran participants at baseline and three months following baseline; data will also be collected from primary care participants regarding their experience with Pain SMART. Data collection will include quantitative measures (e.g., information regarding pain and pain management approaches used) and qualitative measures (e.g., interviews about participants' experiences with Pain SMART).

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
UNKNOWN
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
80
Inclusion Criteria
  • Receives primary care from provider at VA Connecticut who is participating in the study
  • Prescribed an opioid for chronic pain

Veteran

Exclusion Criteria
  • Active suicidal ideation
  • Psychotic disorder
  • Active consult to opioid reassessment clinic at VA Connecticut

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Pain SMART (Intervention Arm)Pain SMARTThe Intervention Arm will be invited to participate in a one-time group intervention, Pain SMART
Minimally Enhanced Usual Careminimally enhanced usual careThe Minimally Enhanced Usual Care group will receive educational information via mail.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Feasibility of participant recruitment3 months

ability to recruit Veterans to enroll in the study and attend group, as evidenced by randomizing 80 veterans over the study period and by having at least 60% of veterans randomized to attend the group show up to to the group

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Pain management strategies used - Chronic Pain Coping Inventory3 months

The chronic pain coping inventory measures the use of pain self-management strategies (e.g., activity pacing)

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Va Connecticut Healthcare System

🇺🇸

West Haven, Connecticut, United States

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