Clinical trial NCT03707886: Pain SMART: Shared Medical Appointments to Refocus Treatment
Official title: Pain SMART: Shared Medical Appointments to Refocus Treatment
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: UNKNOWN
Phase: NA
Conditions: Chronic Pain
Keywords: chronic pain
shared medical appointment
veterans
Lead sponsor: VA Connecticut Healthcare System
Sponsor class: FED
Collaborators: name: VISN1 Career Development Award Program
First posted: 2018-10-16
Enrollment: 80
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Brief summary: The proposed study will test whether a shared medical appointment for Veterans with chronic pain is feasible and acceptable to veteran patients and their providers. The shared medical appointment, called Pain SMART (Shared Medical Appointments to Refocus Treatment), is a brief, one-visit shared medical appointment where providers in primary care and a behavioral health specialist (e.g., a psychologist) meet with a group of patients with chronic pain. The overall goal of Pain SMART is to improve pain care for Veterans. Veterans will be randomized in equal numbers to either attend a Pain SMART visit or to receive educational information in the mail. The primary outcome of this pilot study is whether or not the shared medical appointment is feasible and acceptable to patients and providers.

Detailed description: Objectives: The primary purpose of this study is to understand the feasibility and acceptability of a shared medical appointment for patients with chronic pain called Pain SMART (Shared Medical Appointments to Refocus Treatment).

Intervention: The overall goal of Pain SMART is to increase the use of evidenced-based pain management strategies including pain self-management and other non-pharmacological pain management approaches. Pain SMART is a brief one-visit shared medical appointment delivered by primary care team members (e.g., primary care providers) and a behavioral health specialist (e.g., a clinical health psychologist). Pain SMART uses motivational interviewing to enhance effective and mutually rewarding communication among providers and Veterans to increase pain self-management, including uptake of non-pharmacological approaches to pain management, to ultimately enhance quality of care and Veteran functioning.

Study Participants: Primary care providers/staff will be recruited to participate in Pain SMART visits as shared medical appointment facilitators. Additionally, up to 80 veterans with chronic pain will be recruited.

Research Design: This study is a randomized pilot study in which Veteran participants are randomized to attend Pain SMART or to a minimally enhanced usual care condition (i.e., receive an educational brochure via mail). Veteran participants will be randomized in equal numbers to both conditions. Data collected from Veteran participants at baseline and three months following baseline; data will also be collected from primary care participants regarding their experience with Pain SMART. Data collection will include quantitative measures (e.g., information regarding pain and pain management approaches used) and qualitative measures (e.g., interviews about participants' experiences with Pain SMART).

Eligibility criteria: Veteran Inclusion Criteria:

* Receives primary care from provider at VA Connecticut who is participating in the study
* Prescribed an opioid for chronic pain

Veteran Exclusion Criteria:

* Active suicidal ideation
* Psychotic disorder
* Active consult to opioid reassessment clinic at VA Connecticut

Primary outcomes:
measure: Feasibility of participant recruitment
timeFrame: 3 months
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Pain management strategies used - Chronic Pain Coping Inventory
timeFrame: 3 months
Other outcomes:
measure: Pain management strategies used - Self-reported use of pain management strategies
timeFrame: 3 months
Locations:
city: West Haven
country: United States
facility: Va Connecticut Healthcare System
state: Connecticut
Study officials:
References: