1. Electronic Delivery of Pain Education for Chronic Overlapping Pain Conditions: A Prospective Cohort Study.
- Author
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McKernan, Lindsey C, Crofford, Leslie J, Kim, Ahra, Vandekar, Simon N, Reynolds, William S, Hansen, Kathryn A, Clauw, Daniel J, and Williams, David A
- Subjects
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CHRONIC pain , *ONLINE education , *ACADEMIC medical centers , *ACQUISITION of data methodology , *PAIN measurement , *SELF-management (Psychology) , *MEDICAL records , *QUESTIONNAIRES , *DESCRIPTIVE statistics , *PAIN management , *LONGITUDINAL method - Abstract
Objective To examine the impact of educational materials for chronic overlapping pain conditions (COPCs), the feasibility of delivering materials online, and to explore its impact on self-reported self-management applications at 3-month follow-up. Design Prospective cohort study Setting Online Subjects Individuals from a university-wide active research repository with ≥1 coded diagnostic COPC by ICD-9/10 in the medical record. Methods We determined the number of COPCs per participant as indicated by diagnostic codes in the medical record. Consenting participants completed self-report questionnaires and read educational materials. We assessed content awareness and knowledge pre- and post-exposure to education. Comprehension was assessed via embedded questions in reading materials in real time. Participants then completed assessments regarding concept retention, self-management engagement, and pain-related symptoms at 3-months. Results N = 216 individuals enrolled, with 181 (84%) completing both timepoints. Results indicated that participants understood materials. Knowledge and understanding of COPCs increased significantly after education and was retained at 3-months. Patient characteristics suggested the number of diagnosed COPCs was inversely related to age. Symptoms or self-management application did not change significantly over the 3-month period. Conclusions The educational materials facilitated teaching of key pain concepts in self-management programs, which translated easily into an electronic format. Education alone may not elicit self-management engagement or symptom reduction in this population; however, conclusions are limited by the study's uncontrolled design. Education is likely an important and meaningful first step in comprehensive COPC self-management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
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