An evaluation of a pilot digital-based, pain-management intervention
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The efficacy of a digital-based self-management intervention for patients with chronic pain who are accessing community-based specialist pain services.
IRAS ID
206722
Contact name
Nicola Stenberg
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Staffordshire University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 9 months, 1 days
Research summary
The participants will be patients who have been referred to community based Musculoskeletal services (MSK), including specialist pain services, delivered by Pennine Care NHS Trust and the University Hospital of South Manchester. Clinicians will identify patients who meet the criteria to have access to a digital-based pain-management tool called the PainToolkit.
The PainToolkit is an App-based supported self-management tool for people with chronic pain. It has four main features:
1. Educational text and videos
2. Links to resources and local sources of support
3. A diary function for people to record and monitory their progress
4. Four assessment tools to assess and monitor quality of life, confidence to manage pain, pain experience and general health. When patients complete the assessments their responses are stored on their patient electronic records (System 1 or EMIS)Patients in the intervention group will be invited to download the PainToolkit onto a mobile device, or access it online, and then interact with it for 6 weeks.
The study will investigate the effectiveness of the PainToolkit as a self-management tool. Data will be gathered at baseline and then after 6 weeks to explore whether the PainToolkit has resulted in improvements in pain-related quality of life and confidence to manage pain. Patients complete the questionnaires on the App and the information they provide is then stored on their patient health records.
A ‘treatment as usual’ group will also be identified and baseline and follow up data will also be collected from this group using the same measurement tools. The results for the two groups (intervention and control) will be compared.
Patient perspectives about the usefulness of the PainToolkit will also be collected using a questionnaire.
REC name
North West - Greater Manchester Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/NW/0694
Date of REC Opinion
15 Nov 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion