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Background: Chronic pain in adolescents is prevalent, disabling, and costly. So, providing methods to improve the multidisciplinary management of adolescents' pain is important. Objective: This study aimed to determine the effect of a mobile-based educational application on the severity of chronic pain in adolescents. Material and Methods: This study used a double-blind randomized parallel-group design. 192 adolescents with chronic pain were assigned to three conditions equally (Face-to-face educational program, mobile-based educational program, and Wait-list control condition). Participants in the group of mobile-based educational program completed four modules in the area of pain, stress and anger management and communication skills (1 module per week) via their mobile application. The participants completed pain intensity questionnaire at the baseline, immediately after the mobile-based educational program, and three months after the program. The data were analyzed by SPSS 22 software. Results: There were significant main effects of time on ratings of pain intensity (P<0.01). The main effects of group on ratings of pain intensity (P<0.10) and pain diagnosis on ratings of pain intensity (P<0.84) weren't significant. There were not significant interactions of group × time (P<0.09) and pain diagnosis × time (P<0.69) for pain intensity. Conclusion: Over time, pain intensity decreased, but there were no differences in pain intensity across treatment groups. It seems that adolescents with chronic pain who do not have access to pain care may benefit from remote pain management programs delivered by mobile application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The development, implementation and qualitative evaluation of smartphone-based pain management applications may provide an opportunity for more optimal management of pediatric pain. Objective: To assess a smartphone-based pain management application regarding the feasibility, adherence, participant satisfaction and effectiveness on pain intensity and quality of life in adolescents with chronic pain. Material and Methods: The study was carried out in the quantitative and qualitative stages using a mixed method approach. The quantitative stage included 128 adolescents who had chronic pain. The intervention group received a pain management program through a smartphone-based application. The adolescents were assessed regarding pain intensity and different dimensions of quality of life at three phases. The findings in the quantitative stage were explained by qualitative interviews. Results: The findings of the quantitative stage showed significant improvements in pain intensity, emotional, social and school functioning, but not in physical functioning of the adolescents. A high level of adherence (78.12%) and satisfaction (26.45±6.45) with the smartphone-based pain management program was found. Based on the qualitative interviews, adolescents' pain management strategies can be categorized in three main categories: physical management, psychological management, and interpersonal resources. Conclusion: The results confirm the positive effect of a smartphone-based pain management program on the pain intensity and different dimensions of quality of life of adolescents with chronic pain. A mobile application incorporating both the psychological and physical management of pain may be able to help adolescents with chronic pain to reduce the negative impacts of pain on their life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is a very common problem among different age groups. Objective: The present study aimed to compare the effects of multimedia and FTF pain management education (PME) on pain intensity and pain catastrophizing (PC) among patients with chronic LBP. Material and Methods: This single-blind randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on ninety patients with chronic LBP selected from three healthcare centers affiliated to FUMS. Participants were randomly allocated to a multimedia, an FTF, and a control group. Participants in the multimedia PME group received PME through watching seven educational CDs and their counterparts in the FTF PME group received the same educations in seven weekly FTF educational sessions. Data were collected before, immediately after, and one month after the study intervention. To analyze treatment effects, MANOVA with Tukey post hoc test was performed. Effect size was reported where appropriate. Clinical outcomes (Minimal Detectable Change (MDC)) for pain intensity also reported. Results: The results indicated that the two interventions exerted significant statistical effects on decreasing the participants' pain intensity and catastrophizing compared to the control group. The findings indicated non-significant main effect of time and non-significant difference between groups for mean differences of immediately and one month after intervention for intensity and PC scores. The MDC for pain intensity also showed no significant clinical difference. Conclusion: Both multimedia and FTF PME are effective in significantly reducing pain intensity and PC among patients with chronic LBP. Therefore, PME through multimedia and FTF is recommended for chronic LBP management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]