MedPath

Randomized Trial of ACT and a Care Management App in Primary Care-based Buprenorphine Treatment

Not Applicable
Recruiting
Conditions
Chronic Pain
Opioid-use Disorder
Interventions
Other: Treatment as Usual
Behavioral: Acceptance and commitment therapy
Other: Valera Smartphone Application
Registration Number
NCT05039554
Lead Sponsor
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Brief Summary

The proposed IMPOWR Research Center at Montefiore-Einstein (IMPOWR-ME) will create a multidisciplinary and synergistic program of research to test multimodal treatments that address both chronic pain and opioid use disorder. IMPOWR-ME will generate critical knowledge about the effectiveness, implementation, and cost effectiveness of providing Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and/or a care management smartphone app for individuals in primary care-based buprenorphine treatment. Patients with lived experience with chronic pain and/or opioid use disorder, patient and policy advocates, payors, and health system partners will be engaged in all stages of the research. IMPOWR-ME is well-positioned to become a long-lasting hub for stakeholder-engaged research with multidisciplinary senior and early stage investigators focused on reducing overdose through better treatments for OUD and CP.

Detailed Description

Chronic pain (CP) and opioid use disorder (OUD) are leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Despite being commonly comorbid, there is a striking lack of integrated treatments accessible to people in need. This is particularly true for Black and Hispanic individuals living and seeking care in under-resourced settings like The Bronx, NY, one of the poorest and most racially diverse counties in the U.S. Submitted in response to the HEAL Initiative: Integrative Management of Chronic Pain and OUD for Whole Recovery (IMPOWR) RFA-DA-21-030, the overall goal of this proposal is to create the IMPOWR Research Center at Montefiore/Einstein ("IMPOWR-ME"), in the high-impact county of The Bronx NY. IMPOWR-ME is a synergistic multidisciplinary research center that leverages exceptional research infrastructure in CP and OUD and existing relationships with people living with CP and OUD, advocates, policymakers and payers, and health system stakeholders. The aims of IMPOWR-ME are to: 1) create a robust and sustainable research infrastructure to rigorously test and disseminate integrated and cost-effective evidence-based practices for people with CP and OUD; 2) partner with people with lived experience with CP, OUD, or both, and diverse stakeholders in all stages of the research; and 3) provide opportunities for multidisciplinary early stage investigators to become independent researchers focusing on CP and OUD. This innovative hybrid type 1 effectiveness-implementation trial is proposed to rigorously examine multi-modal evidence-based practices in diverse health care settings and populations of people with comorbid CP and OUD. Specifically, the investigators propose a 2x2 factorial trial to test Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and a care management smartphone app for individuals in primary-care based buprenorphine treatment. Participants will have both CP and OUD or opioid misuse, and specific aims will examine CP, OUD, implementation, and cost-effectiveness outcomes; additional patient-centered outcomes will be driven by people with lived experience. This project improves access to care for Black and Hispanic individuals in under-resourced settings by bringing integrated treatment of CP and OUD to them, and the interventions have high potential for dissemination and sustainability. An innovative program for pilot studies achieves a dual aim of catalyzing stakeholder-driven research and training early stage and new investigators. An exceptional team of investigators and clinical experts focused on CP and OUD, a longstanding history of collaboration with stakeholders and people with lived experience, and a high-impact population make Montefiore-Einstein an ideal site for an IMPOWR research center.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
RECRUITING
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
160
Inclusion Criteria
  1. 18 years old or older;
  2. English or Spanish proficiency;
  3. receiving BUP treatment for OUD for at least 14 days (thus a stabilized BUP dose); and
  4. CP with at least moderate pain severity (score greater than or equal to 4 on Pain, Enjoyment of Life and General Activity scale (PEG). Comorbid psychiatric conditions and use of psychotropic medications will be allowed.
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Exclusion Criteria
  1. Acute exacerbation of psychiatric conditions precluding the ability to participate in the study (e.g., acute mania, active suicidality/homicidality, psychosis);
  2. psychotropic medication changes within the past three months prior to enrollment;
  3. CP related to malignancy;
  4. received ACT or similar therapeutic intervention in the past;
  5. initiated psychotherapy within the past three months;
  6. neurocognitive conditions that may prevent participants from accessing telehealth services;
  7. current use of a smartphone health platform similar to the Valera app;
  8. are unable or unwilling to provide signed consent for participation.
Read More

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
FACTORIAL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
treatment as usual (TAU)Treatment as UsualParticipants randomized to this cohort will not receive any experimental treatments.
acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) aloneAcceptance and commitment therapyParticipants randomized to this cohort will receive only acceptance and commitment therapy.
ACT + Valera appAcceptance and commitment therapyParticipants randomized to this cohort will receive both ACT and the Valera app (and a smartphone with network connectivity if necessary).
Valera smartphone application (app) aloneValera Smartphone ApplicationParticipants randomized to this cohort will receive the Valera app and will receive a smartphone with network connectivity if necessary.
ACT + Valera appValera Smartphone ApplicationParticipants randomized to this cohort will receive both ACT and the Valera app (and a smartphone with network connectivity if necessary).
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Pain interferenceBaseline, 30 days, 12 weeks, 36 weeks

The primary outcome for pain will be pain-related functional interference, assessed with the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), pain interference subscale, a nine-item measure that assesses pain related interference with general activity, mood, walking ability, normal work, relations with other people, sleep, and enjoyment of life. The total score has demonstrated reliability (e.g., Cronbach's Alpha = 0.86) and validity with chronic pain patients.

Opioid UseBaseline, 30 days, 6 weeks, 12 weeks, 24 weeks, 36 weeks

Opioid use will be measures by the Addiction Severity Index (ASI), which provides an assessment of drug use in the past 30 days, as done in our other studies.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
SuicidalityBaseline, 6 weeks, 12 weeks, 24 weeks, 36 weeks

Suicidality will be assessed via the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale. CSSR-S

Stigma & discriminationBaseline

Stigma and discrimination will be assessed via the Perceived discrimination: Everyday discrimination scale.

Patient Report Outcome MeasurementBaseline, 12 weeks, 24 weeks, 36 weeks

Quality of life based on Physical, Emotional, and Substance Use

Multidimensional Psychological Flexibility Inventory (MPFI)Baseline, 30 days, 6 weeks, 12 weeks, 24 weeks, 36 weeks

psychological flexibility of behavior, feelings and emotions

CHRONIC PAIN ACCEPTANCE QUESTIONNAIREBaseline, 6 weeks, 12 weeks, 24 weeks, 36 weeks

Feelings of pain and whether they can be accepted or tolerated

AAQ-SABaseline, 6 weeks, 12 weeks, 24 weeks, 36 weeks

Substance use urges and psychological flexibility when it comes to misuse

Mood SymptomsBaseline, 30 days, 6 weeks, 12 weeks, 24 weeks, 36 weeks

Mood symptoms will be assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire Beck Depression Inventory

Anxiety SymptomsBaseline, 30 days, 6 weeks, 12 weeks, 24 weeks, 36 weeks

Anxiety symptoms will be assessed by the Beck Anxiety Index

Pain catastrophizingBaseline, 12 weeks, 36 weeks

Pain catastrophizing will be assessed via the Pain Catastrophizing Scale.

TraumaBaseline and 24 weeks

Trauma will be assessed for via the Life Events Checklist.

Opioid cravingBaseline, 30 days, 6 weeks, 12 weeks, 24 weeks, 36 weeks

Opioid craving will be assessed for via the Medication Craving Scale.

Substance UseBaseline, 30 days, 6 weeks, 12 weeks, 24 weeks, 36 weeks

Substance use other than opioid use will be assessed via the ASI

Alcohol UseBaseline, 6 weeks, 12 weeks, 24 weeks, 36 weeks

Audit C

Substance useBaseline, 6 weeks, 12 weeks, 24 weeks, 36 weeks

urine toxicology tests.

AnhedoniaBaseline, 24 weeks, 36 weeks

Anhedonia will be assessed via the Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS).

SleepBaseline, 12 weeks, 24 weeks, 36 weeks

Sleep will be assessed via PROMIS Sleep Disturbance 6a + Sleep Duration Question.

Perceived StressBaseline, 12 weeks, 24 weeks, 36 weeks

NIH Toolbox Perceived Stress Fixed Form 18+.

StressBaseline and 24 weeks

Stress will be assessed via the Urban Life Stress Scale.

Satisfaction with Therapy12 weeks

Satisfaction with therapy will be assessed by administration of a 13-item 'Satisfaction With Therapy Scale Revised' questionnaire. Responses to the items on the questionnaire will assess the participants' agreement to the various statements that best describe the ACT therapy received over the past 12 weeks based on a 5 point scale ranging from 1 ("Strongly disagree") to 5 ("Strongly agree") for an overall possible score of 13-65 with higher scores denoting increased satisfaction. Group scores will be summarized by study arm using basic descriptive statistics.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Montefiore Medical Center

🇺🇸

Bronx, New York, United States

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