Web-Based Survey of Pain, Stress and Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Condition: Gastrointestinal Diseases; Chronic Pain; Stress; Anxiety; Depression
MeSH terms: Gastrointestinal Diseases; Digestive System Diseases; Chronic Pain
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      The investigators are inviting people with fibromyalgia, IBS, interstitial cystitis, chronic
      pain, and other chronic and recurring conditions to sign up and participate in a year-long
      Internet-based survey to study the effectiveness of alternative medicine and the interactions
      among stress and coping, pain, and treatment outcomes.

      The survey is called PROCAIM, which stands for Patient-Reported Outcomes from Complementary,
      Alternative, and Integrative Medicine. PROCAIM was developed under a grant to UCLA
      researchers from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

      This is a web-based study composed of surveys that will recur at intervals over 1 year!

      TO ENROLL

        -  Log in to our web site: http://www.procaim.org/

        -  Register as a New User.

        -  Select clinic name: ClinicalTrials.gov.

        -  Read and sign the Consent Form.

      After participants"sign" the form with their email address, participants can begin to answer
      the first in a series of questionnaires. The system will send participants email reminders at
      the time of each scheduled follow-up for one year.

      For further information about PROCAIM, please contact:

        -  Deborah Ackerman, Ph.D.

        -  Department of Epidemiology

        -  UCLA School of Public Health

        -  Box 951772

        -  Los Angeles, CA 90095-1772

        -  deborah.ackerman@ucla.edu
    

Detailed description: 
      PROCAIM, which stands for Patient-Reported Outcomes from Complementary, Alternative, and
      Integrative Medicine, was developed to collect and manage longitudinal patient data and
      implement patient-based outcomes assessment protocols at clinical sites around the country
      that offer various forms of CAM as well as clinics that provide the combination of
      conventional medicine with complementary and alternative therapies. PROCAIM is currently
      being used for a 12 month longitudinal survey to evaluate interactions among stress,
      symptoms, severity, and general well-being among people with fibromyalgia, IBS, chronic
      fatigue, and other chronic pain conditions, and the frequency and impact of co-morbid
      conditions among users of complementary and alternative medicines.
    

Observational model: Cohort
Time perspective: Prospective
Sampling method: Non-Probability Sample
Study population: 
        In general, participants will be: at least 18 years of age; ambulatory (i.e., not depending
        upon a wheelchair for mobility); and meet general criteria for psychosomatic or functional
        disorders including irritable bowel syndrome, other functional disorders, fibromyalgia,
        chronic pain, or related mood and anxiety disorders.
      
Keywords: fibromyalgia; irritable bowel syndrome; interstitial cystitis; chronic fatigue syndrome; vulvodynia; chronic stress; chronic pain; stress-related conditions; functional GI disorders