Research Update

Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are considered to be evidence-based treatments for chronic pain.  The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of group and self-paced, scalable, telehealth MBIs, for veterans with chronic pain compared to usual care.

Participants were randomized to one of two 8-week telehealth MBIs (group and self-paced) or to usual care (control). The group MBI was done via videoconference with prerecorded mindfulness education and skill training videos by an experienced instructor, accompanied by facilitated discussions. The self-paced MBI was similar but completed on demand and supplemented by three individual facilitator calls.

A total of 694 veterans (mean age 55 years; 48% women) were randomized and completed the trial. The primary outcome was pain-related function at three time points: 10 weeks, 6 months, and 1 year.  Averaged across all three time points, these scores were significantly lower for both MBIs compared to usual care.  Both MBI arms also had significantly better scores on pain intensity, patient global impression of change, physical function, fatigue, sleep disturbance, social roles and activities, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder. The group and self-paced MBIs did not significantly differ from one another.

The authors concluded that scalable telehealth MBIs could help accelerate and improve the implementation of nonpharmacological interventions for individuals with chronic pain.