Cognitive Behavioral Chronic Pain Management Workbook

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Cognitive behavioral (CBT) approaches to chronic pain management are effective for reducing patients' experience of pain and improving functioning and quality of life. Non-pharmacological treatments for pain are strongly endorsed as an important component of a comprehensive pain management approach by organizations such as the American Pain Society, the America Geriatric Society, and the Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO). The goal of the present project is to develop an Internet-delivered Chronic Pain Workbook which offers a low-cost CBT pain management intervention to chronic pain patients. This Pain Workbook can be used as a stand-alone intervention for patients unwilling or financially unable to seek help from psychologists or other CBT providers or as an adjunct to a comprehensive pain management program. The proposed Pain Workbook will be more than pages of text displayed sequentially on a computer screen. Computer technology enables this workbook to be highly interactive, to use a multimedia presentation format (e.g., sound, animation, and graphics), and to tailor information for the individual user. In Phase I we propose to develop three chapters of the Pain Workbook: a pain education chapter which presents the mind/body treatment rationale, a cognitive restructuring chapter, and a chapter which teaches patients to set small reasonable goals consistent with their larger life goals and to engage in active problem-solving. Our team of expert consultants will assist us in developing the content of the Phase I chapters. We will also conduct a small randomized study using a wait-list control group design. This study will evaluate the impact of the prototype chapters on pain patients' beliefs and attitudes about pain. We will also collect information regarding usability and functionality of the Pain Workbook. The Phase II plan is to complete the Pain Workbook and to conduct a larger randomized effectiveness trial.