The Clinical journal of pain
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To test the feasibility of an online intervention (DARWeb) for children with functional abdominal pain and their families. ⋯ DARWeb has been shown to be a feasible intervention, and it seems to be well designed. However, some improvements need to be considered based on the experiences of these participating families, and further research should be conducted to test its efficacy.
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There are a growing number of pain self-management applications (apps) available for users to download on personal smartphones. The purpose of this study was to critically appraise the content and self-management functionality of currently available pain apps. ⋯ Currently available pain self-management apps for patients are simplistic, lack the involvement of health care professionals in their development, and have not been rigorously tested for effectiveness on pain-related health outcomes. There is a need to develop and test theoretically and evidence-based apps to better support patients with accessible pain care self-management.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Integrating Virtual Reality with Activity Management for the Treatment of Fibromyalgia: Acceptability and Preliminary Efficacy.
Cognitive-behavioral therapies (CBT) for fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) are important interventions in the management of this condition. Empirical evidence reports that although the results are promising, further research is needed to respond more appropriately to these patients. This study focuses on exploring the use of Virtual Reality (VR) as an adjunct to the activity management component. The aim of this study is to present the results of a small-sized randomized controlled trial to test the preliminary efficacy and acceptability of this component. ⋯ The effects were related to the psychological aspects targeted in the treatment. The component was well accepted by FMS patients referred from a public hospital. These findings show that the VR component could be useful in the CBT treatment of FMS and encourage us to continue exploring the use of integrating VR with CBT interventions for the treatment of FMS.
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To evaluate the impact of a clinical dashboard for opioid analgesic management on opioid prescribing and adherence to opioid practice guidelines in primary care. ⋯ Implementation of an opioid dashboard led to increased adherence to certain opioid practice guidelines and a decline in COT. This may be attributable to more efficient team-based pain management facilitated by the dashboard and increased transparency of opioid prescription practices. Health Information Technology solutions such as clinical dashboards can increase adherence to practice guidelines.
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The use of technology to provide chronic pain self-management interventions has increased in the recent years. Individual studies have primarily focused on a single technology-assisted modality and direct comparisons of different technology-assisted modalities are rare. Thus, little is known about the relative strengths and weaknesses of each technology-assisted modality. ⋯ Future trials should focus on direct comparisons of technology-assisted interventions with in-person treatment and head to head comparisons of different technology-assisted modalities. Additional areas of focus include quantifying the cost of technology-assisted interventions, examining the effect of treatment "dose" on outcomes, and establishing guidelines for developing treatments for the technology-assisted environment.