None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
This pilot randomised controlled trial will compare the feasibility of delivering the pre-clinic STEPS pain education program online versus face-to-face for patients on the chronic pain waitlist at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and Westmead Hospital Pain Clinics. Participants will be randomised to receive either virtual or in-person STEPS sessions prior to their first multidisciplinary pain clinic appointment. Feasibility outcomes will include recruitment and retention rates, program completion, and acceptability to participants and staff. Secondary outcomes will assess preliminary clinical effectiveness, equity of access, health service impact, and participant experiences. Findings will inform the scalability and implementation of flexible STEPS delivery models across pain services.
Interventions
The intervention is a pre-clinic pain education program (STEPS) delivered as a single-session group workshop via videoconferencing. The STEPS program is facilitated by experienced clinicians from the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Pain Management Centre (such as psychologists, physiotherapists, or pain specialists) and runs for approximately two hours. The session provides interactive education covering the science of chronic pain, strategies for self-management including pacing, activity manageme
The intervention is a pre-clinic pain education program (STEPS) delivered as a single-session group workshop via videoconferencing. The STEPS program is facilitated by experienced clinicians from the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Pain Management Centre (such as psychologists, physiotherapists, or pain specialists) and runs for approximately two hours. The session provides interactive education covering the science of chronic pain, strategies for self-management including pacing, activity management, and lifestyle approaches, and information about available treatment options and care pathways within the pain clinic. Participants are given opportunities for questions and group discussion. Attendance at the videoconference is recorded, and reminders are sent in advance to encourage participation. The STEPS program is scheduled prior to participants’ first multidisciplinary pain clinic appointment, with the aim of preparing them for clinic assessment and optimising engagement with subsequent care.
Sponsors
Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Pain management centre
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Primary purpose
Educational / counselling / training
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Adults aged 18 years or older. Referred to the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Pain Management Centre or Westmead Hospital Pain Clinic. On the waitlist to attend the Self-Training Educative Pain Sessions (STEPS) program. Able to provide informed consent. Access to a device with internet connection (for participants randomised to the online delivery arm).
Exclusion criteria
Inability to understand or communicate in English sufficiently to complete study procedures without an interpreter. Significant cognitive impairment or severe psychiatric illness that, in the opinion of the treating clinician or research team, would interfere with participation. Medical instability or acute health condition requiring urgent treatment. Previous completion of the Self-Training Educative Pain Sessions (STEPS) program within the past 12 months. Lack of access to an appropriate device and internet connection (for participants randomised to the online delivery arm).
Outcome results
None listed