NCT04349033

Virtual Human Technology for Patients With Chronic Pain

Virtual Human Technology for Patients With Chronic Pain: Experimental Study of Pain Neuroscience and Emotional Disclosure

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 94 (actual)
• Sponsor: Wayne State University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The experimental study compares three virtual human interviews of patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain: Emotional disclosure and brain, emotional disclosure only, basic information control. Effects on attitudes and clinical outcomes at 1-month follow-up are assessed.

Detailed description

Emotional disclosure about stressors and other private experiences has been found to be helpful for some people with chronic musculoskeletal pain. Also, helping patients understand the role of the brain in pain has been helpful. We have developed a virtual human interviewer to help patients talk about their pain and their lives. We will conduct an experimental study to compare the effects of several different types of VH interviews. Patients with chronic pain will be randomized to receive one of three VH interviews: emotional disclosure and brain education; emotional disclosure alone; or a control basic pain interview. Patients will be assessed at baseline and 1-month follow-up on a range of attitudinal and clinical measures to determine how these different interviews affect outcomes.

Conditions

• Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Emotional Disclosure and Brain Education	Patients are interviewed about a number of aspects of their lives (stress, other illnesses, personality, adverse childhood experiences), and these are explored as part of education of the brain's role in their pain.
BEHAVIORAL	Emotional Disclosure Only	Patients are interviewed about a number of aspects of their lives, but without brain education
BEHAVIORAL	Pain Information Control	Patients are interviewed about their pain history and other basic, non-disclosure information about their health.

Timeline

• Start date: 2021-02-10
• Primary completion: 2021-08-01
• Completion: 2021-08-01
• First posted: 2020-04-16
• Last updated: 2024-03-12
• Results posted: 2024-03-12

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States