Improving the Management of Chronic Pain in Primary Care

Completed · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Chronic Pain

In brief

There are an estimated 100 million Americans with chronic pain. The enormity of the problem at the societal level is staggering, not simply in terms of its sheer prevalence but also the societal costs, including health care expenditures, disability compensation, lost productivity, and lost employment potential. The pharmacological focus in treatment tends to give patients with chronic pain a negative stereotype as many are viewed as drug seeking, or worse, they are perceived to have an imaginary illness. It is argued that these stigmas not only negatively affect the patients' healthcare experience, but also perpetuate maladaptive coping. In addition, it is suggested that reliance on pharmacological approaches have contributed to the rate of overdoses from prescribed opioids. In order to address this burden facing society, patients need opportunities to foster a sense of self-efficacy to manage their pain, as well as improve their healthcare experience by allowing them to dialogue with their clinician openly and freely about their chronic pain, and coping strategies. This study is designed to explore the impact of an intervention using photo-elicitation (based on Photovoice) and online group support (via Facebook) on participants' overall experience of chronic pain and patient-identified areas of function. Photovoice participants will utilize cameras that enable them to record issues related to their experiences, and subsequently display them. This method serves as an empowering tool to connect participants to key stakeholders in the community, facilitates change and opportunities that otherwise would not be available to marginalized groups.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT02783365

Run by

University of Missouri-Columbia

People needed

278

Starts

2016-07-01

Expected to finish

2019-09-02

Last updated by the study team

2019-09-13

Who can join

Age: 18 and older, up to 75. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Patients will need to meet the following criteria in order to participate in the study:
• they must be between the ages of 18-75
• they must have an established care relationship with the practitioner (having had at least two previous visits for chronic pain of at least 6 months' duration)
• they must read and understand English
• they must be willing to sign a consent. Patients must have a device to take pictures (e.g., camera, phone, or tablet) and access to the internet in order to complete REDcap (the online data collection tool we will use to capture quantitative data in order to assess intervention impact), and participate in the online discussions via Facebook.

You may not qualify if…

• No terminal illness, and/or a life expectancy of < 1yr.

Where it is running

• University of Missouri, Dept. of Family and Community Medicine — Columbia, Missouri, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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