None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
The purpose of this proposed project is to replicate the efficacy of, and assess the cost-effectiveness, an established internet-delivered self-management program, the Pain Course, for chronic pain, when administered with optional clinician guidance versus a waitlist control. Participants in this research trial will be randomly allocated to receive the Course with optional telephone guidance from a clinician, or to a delayed-treatment control group. Hypotheses: 1. The Pain Course will result in statistically and clinically significant improvements in symptoms of disability, anxiety and depression from pre-treatment to post-treatment compared to the treatment-as-usual Waitlist Control Group. 2. The Pain Course will be more cost-effective at common willingness-to-pay thresholds compared with treatment as usual. 3. Observed clinical improvements in symptoms of disability, anxiety and depression will be maintained at 3-month follow-up.
Interventions
The intervention, the Pain Course, is an internet-delivered pain management program, which consists of:
(a) 5 online lessons provided over 8 weeks.
(b) A homework summary with assignments for each lesson
(c) Additional written resources that can be downloaded and which include information about other important skills, such as assertiveness and communication skills and techniques for managing sleep difficulties.
(d) Case Stories based on previous participants, which they can follow throughout th
The intervention, the Pain Course, is an internet-delivered pain management program, which consists of: (a) 5 online lessons provided over 8 weeks. (b) A homework summary with assignments for each lesson (c) Additional written resources that can be downloaded and which include information about other important skills, such as assertiveness and communication skills and techniques for managing sleep difficulties. (d) Case Stories based on previous participants, which they can follow throughout the Course. (e) Optional weekly contact with a Psychologist via secure email or telephone. Participants will be encouraged to complete a lesson every 10 days and to read through a summary of the lesson and complete some basic homework in the following 10 days. Participants will have the option of contacting a Psychologist by phone or email each week for support with working through the course; each eCentreClinic Psychologist receives 1 hour or more of weekly supervision from another eCentreClinic Psychologist in which all of their participants are reviewed; as per best-practice guidelines and eCentreClinic Policy. The Pain Course is based on cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) principles and teaches evidence-based skills for managing pain, disability, anxiety and depression. Each lesson takes between 10 and 20 minutes to complete and it is suggested that participants read each lesson at least twice and spend approximately 3 hours, across the week, practicing the skills taught. Telephone calls will be limited to approximately 10 minutes per week; however, more time will be provided where clinically indicated. Adherence (e.g., logins, lesson completion, lesson views, time spent on course) will be monitored via the eCentreClinic software, which is used to provide the Pain Course.
Sponsors
eCentreClinic, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
(a) Has experienced Chronic Pain (i.e. Pain > 6 months), which is still present at the time of participation. (b) Australian resident (c) Has had their pain assessed by their GP or medical specialist.
Exclusion criteria
(a) Severe depression (i.e., indicated by a score > 22 on the PHQ-9) (b) Significant suicidal ideation (i.e., indicated by a score > 2 to Question 9 of the PHQ-9) (c) Acutely suicidal or recent history of attempted suicide or self-harm (i.e., last 12 months)
Outcome results
None listed