Trial Outcomes & Findings for Pilot of Pragmatic SBIRT Study (NCT NCT03307967)

Last Updated: 2024-02-15

Results Overview

A self-reported measure developed by the Pain Management Collaboaratory (PMC3). Questionnaire asks about the use of 13 different non-pharmacological pain treatments over the past 3 months. Below we present the mean number of non-pharmacological pain treatments received at baseline and then at week 12.

Recruitment status

COMPLETED

Study phase

Target enrollment

40 participants

Primary outcome timeframe

Baseline, Week 12

Results posted on

2024-02-15

Participant Flow

Veterans in catchment area of New England VA Medical Centers applying for C\&P disability benefits for a back, neck, knee, or shoulder condition

Participant milestones

Participant milestones
Measure	SBIRT-PM Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment for Pain Management (SBIRT-PM) was developed to promote engagement in multi-modal non-pharmacological pain management among compensation-seeking Veterans with chronic pain. In SBIRT-PM, a clinician meets with the Veteran after the compensation examination to address the presenting MSD complaint. The clinician addresses Veterans' motivation for multi-modal pain care, and explains how pain can be managed using a variety of non-pharmacological pain management services. The clinician spells out how those services can be accessed at VA. Using permissive language about how pain is commonly self-medicated with substances, the clinician transitions to inquiries about use of prescription and non-prescription substances. The clinician then attempts to motivate Veterans to change their behavior if they are misusing substances. Thus, SBIRT-PM addresses the Veteran's presenting pain complaint first and nascent substance use subsequently. SBIRT-PM: SBIRT-PM involves an initial telephone-delivered session followed by up to three calls to Veterans in a 12-week period to support Veteran engagement in multi-modal non-pharmacological pain care and to motivate those who misuse substances to change this problematic behavior. SBIRT-PM also includes coordination between the SBIRT-PM clinicians and the PACT nurse case manager after the initial session to support these patient outcomes.
Overall Study STARTED	40
Overall Study COMPLETED	36
Overall Study NOT COMPLETED	4

Reasons for withdrawal

Reasons for withdrawal
Measure	SBIRT-PM Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment for Pain Management (SBIRT-PM) was developed to promote engagement in multi-modal non-pharmacological pain management among compensation-seeking Veterans with chronic pain. In SBIRT-PM, a clinician meets with the Veteran after the compensation examination to address the presenting MSD complaint. The clinician addresses Veterans' motivation for multi-modal pain care, and explains how pain can be managed using a variety of non-pharmacological pain management services. The clinician spells out how those services can be accessed at VA. Using permissive language about how pain is commonly self-medicated with substances, the clinician transitions to inquiries about use of prescription and non-prescription substances. The clinician then attempts to motivate Veterans to change their behavior if they are misusing substances. Thus, SBIRT-PM addresses the Veteran's presenting pain complaint first and nascent substance use subsequently. SBIRT-PM: SBIRT-PM involves an initial telephone-delivered session followed by up to three calls to Veterans in a 12-week period to support Veteran engagement in multi-modal non-pharmacological pain care and to motivate those who misuse substances to change this problematic behavior. SBIRT-PM also includes coordination between the SBIRT-PM clinicians and the PACT nurse case manager after the initial session to support these patient outcomes.
Overall Study Lost to Follow-up	4

Baseline Characteristics

Pilot of Pragmatic SBIRT Study

Baseline characteristics by cohort

Baseline characteristics by cohort
Measure	SBIRT-PM n=40 Participants Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment for Pain Management (SBIRT-PM) was developed to promote engagement in multi-modal non-pharmacological pain management among compensation-seeking Veterans with chronic pain. In SBIRT-PM, a clinician meets with the Veteran after the compensation examination to address the presenting MSD complaint. The clinician addresses Veterans' motivation for multi-modal pain care, and explains how pain can be managed using a variety of non-pharmacological pain management services. The clinician spells out how those services can be accessed at VA. Using permissive language about how pain is commonly self-medicated with substances, the clinician transitions to inquiries about use of prescription and non-prescription substances. The clinician then attempts to motivate Veterans to change their behavior if they are misusing substances. Thus, SBIRT-PM addresses the Veteran's presenting pain complaint first and nascent substance use subsequently. SBIRT-PM: SBIRT-PM involves an initial telephone-delivered session followed by up to three calls to Veterans in a 12-week period to support Veteran engagement in multi-modal non-pharmacological pain care and to motivate those who misuse substances to change this problematic behavior. SBIRT-PM also includes coordination between the SBIRT-PM clinicians and the PACT nurse case manager after the initial session to support these patient outcomes.
Age, Continuous	40.2 years n=5 Participants
Sex: Female, Male Female	6 Participants n=5 Participants
Sex: Female, Male Male	34 Participants n=5 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized White	30 Participants n=5 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized Black	3 Participants n=5 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized Other	5 Participants n=5 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized Unknown	2 Participants n=5 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized Hispanic	6 Participants n=5 Participants
Region of Enrollment United States	40 participants n=5 Participants
Military Branch Army	18 Participants n=5 Participants
Military Branch Marines	5 Participants n=5 Participants
Military Branch Navy	7 Participants n=5 Participants
Military Branch Airforce	5 Participants n=5 Participants
Military Branch Coast Guard	2 Participants n=5 Participants
Military Branch Army/Airforce	2 Participants n=5 Participants
Military Branch Army/Marines	1 Participants n=5 Participants

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: Baseline, Week 12

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure	SBIRT-PM n=36 Participants Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment for Pain Management (SBIRT-PM) was developed to promote engagement in multi-modal non-pharmacological pain management among compensation-seeking Veterans with chronic pain. In SBIRT-PM, a clinician meets with the Veteran after the compensation examination to address the presenting MSD complaint. The clinician addresses Veterans' motivation for multi-modal pain care, and explains how pain can be managed using a variety of non-pharmacological pain management services. The clinician spells out how those services can be accessed at VA. Using permissive language about how pain is commonly self-medicated with substances, the clinician transitions to inquiries about use of prescription and non-prescription substances. The clinician then attempts to motivate Veterans to change their behavior if they are misusing substances. Thus, SBIRT-PM addresses the Veteran's presenting pain complaint first and nascent substance use subsequently. SBIRT-PM: SBIRT-PM involves an initial telephone-delivered session followed by up to three calls to Veterans in a 12-week period to support Veteran engagement in multi-modal non-pharmacological pain care and to motivate those who misuse substances to change this problematic behavior. SBIRT-PM also includes coordination between the SBIRT-PM clinicians and the PACT nurse case manager after the initial session to support these patient outcomes.
Non-Pharm Pain Treatment Modalities Received # non-pharm pain treatments at Baseline	.93 non-pharm pain treatments Standard Deviation 1.0
Non-Pharm Pain Treatment Modalities Received # non-pharm pain treatments at week 12	1.3 non-pharm pain treatments Standard Deviation 1.3

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: Baseline, week 12

Measured by the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST). This self-reported assessment asks about the use of 10 classes of substances used over the preceding 3 months. In the below table, we present the number of participants that endorsed having used the indicated substance at baseline and week 12.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure	SBIRT-PM n=36 Participants Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment for Pain Management (SBIRT-PM) was developed to promote engagement in multi-modal non-pharmacological pain management among compensation-seeking Veterans with chronic pain. In SBIRT-PM, a clinician meets with the Veteran after the compensation examination to address the presenting MSD complaint. The clinician addresses Veterans' motivation for multi-modal pain care, and explains how pain can be managed using a variety of non-pharmacological pain management services. The clinician spells out how those services can be accessed at VA. Using permissive language about how pain is commonly self-medicated with substances, the clinician transitions to inquiries about use of prescription and non-prescription substances. The clinician then attempts to motivate Veterans to change their behavior if they are misusing substances. Thus, SBIRT-PM addresses the Veteran's presenting pain complaint first and nascent substance use subsequently. SBIRT-PM: SBIRT-PM involves an initial telephone-delivered session followed by up to three calls to Veterans in a 12-week period to support Veteran engagement in multi-modal non-pharmacological pain care and to motivate those who misuse substances to change this problematic behavior. SBIRT-PM also includes coordination between the SBIRT-PM clinicians and the PACT nurse case manager after the initial session to support these patient outcomes.
Substance Use Baseline : Alcohol	13 participants
Substance Use Baseline : Nicotine	16 participants
Substance Use Baseline : Other Drugs	7 participants
Substance Use Baseline : Alcohol or drugs	27 participants
Substance Use Week 12 : Alcohol	6 participants
Substance Use Week 12 : Nicotine	15 participants
Substance Use Week 12 : Other Drugs	8 participants
Substance Use Week 12 : Alcohol or drugs	22 participants

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: Baseline to 12 weeks

Measured by the pain severity subscale of the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI). The BPI is a validated instrument to assess chronic non-cancer pain. The pain severity subscale consists of 4 items (worst pain, least pain, average pain, current pain) rated in the past 24 hours on a 0-10 scale- higher scores indicate higher pain severity. The four items are averaged to get a score. Below we present the mean, within-person change in pain severity from baseline to week 12. Minimally clinically important difference would be a 30% reduction in pain severity.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure	SBIRT-PM n=36 Participants Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment for Pain Management (SBIRT-PM) was developed to promote engagement in multi-modal non-pharmacological pain management among compensation-seeking Veterans with chronic pain. In SBIRT-PM, a clinician meets with the Veteran after the compensation examination to address the presenting MSD complaint. The clinician addresses Veterans' motivation for multi-modal pain care, and explains how pain can be managed using a variety of non-pharmacological pain management services. The clinician spells out how those services can be accessed at VA. Using permissive language about how pain is commonly self-medicated with substances, the clinician transitions to inquiries about use of prescription and non-prescription substances. The clinician then attempts to motivate Veterans to change their behavior if they are misusing substances. Thus, SBIRT-PM addresses the Veteran's presenting pain complaint first and nascent substance use subsequently. SBIRT-PM: SBIRT-PM involves an initial telephone-delivered session followed by up to three calls to Veterans in a 12-week period to support Veteran engagement in multi-modal non-pharmacological pain care and to motivate those who misuse substances to change this problematic behavior. SBIRT-PM also includes coordination between the SBIRT-PM clinicians and the PACT nurse case manager after the initial session to support these patient outcomes.
Change in Pain Severity	-.41 within-person change in score on a scale Standard Deviation 1.3

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: Baseline to 12 weeks

Measured by the pain interference subscale of the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI). The BPI is a validated instrument to assess chronic non-cancer pain. The pain interference subscale consists of 7 items rated in the past 24 hours on a 0-10 scale- higher scores indicate higher interference from pain. The 7 items are averaged to get a score. Below we present the mean, within-person change in pain intensity from baseline to week 12. Minimally clinically important difference would be a 1 point reduction in pain intensity.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure	SBIRT-PM n=36 Participants Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment for Pain Management (SBIRT-PM) was developed to promote engagement in multi-modal non-pharmacological pain management among compensation-seeking Veterans with chronic pain. In SBIRT-PM, a clinician meets with the Veteran after the compensation examination to address the presenting MSD complaint. The clinician addresses Veterans' motivation for multi-modal pain care, and explains how pain can be managed using a variety of non-pharmacological pain management services. The clinician spells out how those services can be accessed at VA. Using permissive language about how pain is commonly self-medicated with substances, the clinician transitions to inquiries about use of prescription and non-prescription substances. The clinician then attempts to motivate Veterans to change their behavior if they are misusing substances. Thus, SBIRT-PM addresses the Veteran's presenting pain complaint first and nascent substance use subsequently. SBIRT-PM: SBIRT-PM involves an initial telephone-delivered session followed by up to three calls to Veterans in a 12-week period to support Veteran engagement in multi-modal non-pharmacological pain care and to motivate those who misuse substances to change this problematic behavior. SBIRT-PM also includes coordination between the SBIRT-PM clinicians and the PACT nurse case manager after the initial session to support these patient outcomes.
Change in Pain Interference	.08 within-person change on a scale Standard Deviation 1.6

Adverse Events

SBIRT-PM

Serious events: 0 serious events

Other events: 8 other events

Deaths: 0 deaths

Serious adverse events

Adverse event data not reported

Other adverse events

Other adverse events
Measure	SBIRT-PM n=40 participants at risk Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment for Pain Management (SBIRT-PM) was developed to promote engagement in multi-modal non-pharmacological pain management among compensation-seeking Veterans with chronic pain. In SBIRT-PM, a clinician meets with the Veteran after the compensation examination to address the presenting MSD complaint. The clinician addresses Veterans' motivation for multi-modal pain care, and explains how pain can be managed using a variety of non-pharmacological pain management services. The clinician spells out how those services can be accessed at VA. Using permissive language about how pain is commonly self-medicated with substances, the clinician transitions to inquiries about use of prescription and non-prescription substances. The clinician then attempts to motivate Veterans to change their behavior if they are misusing substances. Thus, SBIRT-PM addresses the Veteran's presenting pain complaint first and nascent substance use subsequently. SBIRT-PM: SBIRT-PM involves an initial telephone-delivered session followed by up to three calls to Veterans in a 12-week period to support Veteran engagement in multi-modal non-pharmacological pain care and to motivate those who misuse substances to change this problematic behavior. SBIRT-PM also includes coordination between the SBIRT-PM clinicians and the PACT nurse case manager after the initial session to support these patient outcomes.
Psychiatric disorders Suicidal ideation	20.0% 8/40 • Number of events 10 • 12 weeks An adverse event (AE) is any untoward medical occurrence in a subject during participation in the research study. Veterans with MSD have a high frequency of medical and psychiatric difficulties. Therefore, changes in medication regimen, the presence of medication side effects and symptom exacerbations are not untoward and do not constitute adverse events.

Additional Information

Christina Lazar, Project Director

Yale University

Phone: 203-932-5711

Email: [email protected]

Results disclosure agreements

Principal investigator is a sponsor employee
Publication restrictions are in place