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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Chronic Pain Self-Management Within the Context of Opioid Reduction: The EMPOWER Study
Sponsor: Stanford University
Summary
The proposed study will fill several critical gaps in evidence that are preventing patients and physicians from making informed decisions about their pain care. This project will provide patients taking opioids and physicians with the specific evidence they need to choose the most effective route to pain control, reduced pain interference, opioid reduction, and improved role function, thereby improving patient care. The aims of this study are to (1) reduce or contain prescription opioid use while maintaining pain control and (2) compare the effectiveness of the Chronic Pain Self-Management Program (CPSMP), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for chronic pain (pain-CBT), and no behavioral treatment within the context of patient-centered collaborative opioid tapering (Taper Only). The acronym EMPOWER stands for Effective Management of Pain and Opioid-Free Ways to Enhance Relief.
Official title: Comparative Effectiveness of Pain Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Chronic Pain Self-Management Within the Context of Opioid Reduction: The EMPOWER Study
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
18 Years - 85 Years
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
1462
Start Date
2018-07-24
Completion Date
2023-11-06
Last Updated
2026-09-24
Healthy Volunteers
No
Conditions
Interventions
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
A trained psychologist delivers pain-CBT to individual patients or groups of patients with chronic pain. Group treatment is delivered across 8 weekly sessions that last for 2 hours each. Pain-CBT incorporates interactive discussion, practice of relaxation training, action planning, and home exercises into each session. Pain-CBT is effective for reducing pain intensity, pain catastrophizing, depression and social impacts.
Chronic Pain Self Management Program
The CPSMP is similar to pain-CBT in format and content but is peer-led, and is effective across pain conditions (e.g., back pain, arthritis) for improving pain and pain self-efficacy. The CPSMP consists of six weekly 2-hour group sessions in which two peer co-leaders provide patient education about pain, effective self-management, pain impacts, and other symptoms from a highly structured manual. Similar to pain-CBT, CPSMP incorporates interactive discussion, practice of relaxation training, action planning, and home exercises into each session
Taper Only
Participants allocated to 'Taper Only' will engage in a physician-guided, patient-centered opioid tapering program without additional behavioral intervention.
Locations (1)
Stanford University
Palo Alto, California, United States