None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
The primary aim of the project is to evaluate the implementation, effectiveness and acceptability of using an immersive Virtual Reality (VR) pain education program at Queensland’s tertiary adult persistent pain management services. It is hypothesized that the use of a Virtual Reality based pain education program will an acceptable and helpful treatment option to improve outcomes for people with chronic pain.
Interventions
A clinician-led Virtual Reality based pain education and rehabilitation program.
Participants will complete six, 1-hour sessions over an 8 week period, Sessions are delivered in a 1:1 face to face consultation with an allied health or nursing clinician and involve the use of a Virtual Reality pain education software and accompanying workbook activities. The VR intervention is delivered using a Meta Quest 3 headset, and the software is the Reality Health Pain Management Program.
The VR pain educ
A clinician-led Virtual Reality based pain education and rehabilitation program. Participants will complete six, 1-hour sessions over an 8 week period, Sessions are delivered in a 1:1 face to face consultation with an allied health or nursing clinician and involve the use of a Virtual Reality pain education software and accompanying workbook activities. The VR intervention is delivered using a Meta Quest 3 headset, and the software is the Reality Health Pain Management Program. The VR pain education program treatment protocol and patient workbook (Supercharging Chronic Pain Education using VR Protocol) have been developed by Gold Coast Health in consultation with med-tech company Reality Health who developed and own the VR Reality Health software. The protocol and workbook were developed and tested during the initial single site RCT (ACTRN12623000745640), and the same protocol and workbook will be used during this multi-site implementation study. Adherence to the intervention will be monitored via session notes and software dashboard reporting. This VR pain education program will be delivered by a range of pain management clinicians, with backgrounds in occupational therapy, physiotherapy, psychology and nursing at each of the 5 participating sites. Reality Health and the Project Lead will provide training to the clinicians in the delivery of the VR treatment protocol as part of the implementation. The training schedule will involve 1 x 3 hour face to face workshop and practical VR sessions, protected time for self-guided practice of the VR modules, and practice use of the VR modules, over a one-three month period. Clinicians will aim to complete their training approximately one month prior to commencing delivery of the intervention to participants. The Project Lead will provide ongoing support for the duration of the pilot to the sites and clinicians, via formal monthly meetings, informal check ins, and online resources via a Sharepoint site. The intervention will be delivered in the five tertiary-level public pain management services in Queensland, Australia. The services are outpatient hospital clinics, staffed by a multidisciplinary team. The intervention will be offered to participants as part of their pain management treatment options, until a total of 25 participants have been recruited at each site (125 total across 5 sites). There will be no randomisation or control group for this implementation study.
Sponsors
Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service
Study design
Allocation
Non-randomised trial
Intervention model
Single group
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to 80 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
People living with chronic non-cancer pain for greater than 6 months duration, who have been referred to a tertiary-level, multidisciplinary persistent pain management service. A total of 150 (125 patients and 25 clinicians) people will be invited to participate in the evaluation. Twenty-five patients will be invited from each study site. Patients will be invited to join the project, following an initial assessment with the pain service. Clinicians will be invited to participate in the study at completion of the study intervention. Inclusion criteria for the VR pain education program will be: - A current referral to any of the tertiary pain management services - Aged 18 years or older - Suitable goals to engage with a multidisciplinary rehab approach - Able to attend 6 x 1 hour sessions to participate in Virtual Reality pain education program Additionally, the study population will include clinicians involved in delivering and implementing the VR pain education sessions at each site. It is estimated 25 clinicians will participate in the evaluation. Inclusion criteria for clinicians include: - Employed at any of the five pain management service sites during delivery of the project - Either: delivered the VR pain education program to participants during the project, and / or: - Managed the team of clinicians who were delivering the VR pain education program during the project
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria will be: - Insufficient English (reading level less than 10 years of age) to participate in an education session - Significant cognitive or sensory impairment affecting ability to tolerate virtual reality (i.e. hearing, vision or vestibular issues) - Unstable or untreated mental health condition impacting ability to engage with pain education Exclusion criteria for clinicians include: - Did not deliver the VR education program to participants or manage clinicians delivering the VR program during the project
Outcome results
None listed