MERCI Chronic Pain Research Clinic (Medical Education and Research in Compassionate Integration/Intervention)

Summary

Studies estimate that 30% of people worldwide experience chronic pain. The mechanisms causing this pain can vary: a neuropathic offender, such as nerve compression; a structural offender, such as long-term effects of soft tissue damage and repair; or nociplastic, dysfunctional offenders, such as fibromyalgia. The type of pain experienced influences diagnostic and treatment choice. In theory, there's a significant blending of these pain types within individuals and across patients, leading many specialists to view pain classification as a spectrum. Multidisciplinary pain management (MPM) is a standard model for addressing and treating different mechanisms of chronic pain using multiple interventions from different disciplines. Although many clinics employing these strategies have resulted in positive and clinically effective outcomes, the creation and implementation of such facilities have not been widespread. With increasing focus on psychosocial factors that impact pain in conjunction with structural and biomechanical offenders, a need for a whole-person, integrated approach to chronic pain management is needed. We propose an observational study to gather data that will inform the design, implementation, and operation of such a chronic pain research clinic.

Eligibility

Age range

21–80 years

Sex

All

Healthy volunteers

No

Interventions

• Behavioral
  Behavior Change Coaching

  Done by Dr. Hollingsworth or students via consultations with participants. Participant's health behavior aspirations or target outcomes will be clarified, informed by the participant's interactions with other MERCI providers. Behaviors that move the participant towards their aspirations/outcomes will be explored to find target behaviors that the participant is motivated and able to do. Target behaviors and supporting habits will be designed into the participant's existing routine. The Fogg Behavior Model will be used 1) to find the participant's primary motivation for engaging in target behaviors and 2) to make target behaviors easier to do. Implementation intentions - When/then or If/then plans - will be used to form habits and promote behavior engagement. Adopting a growth mindset will also be discussed. Subsequent consultations will focus on troubleshooting, iterative improvements, and incorporation of new aspirations/outcomes, target behaviors, and supporting habits.

• Behavioral
  Nutrition

  Nutrition: The nutrition intervention will be conducted as a 12-week protocol with assessment points at baseline, 1 month, and 3 months. Following consent, eligible participants will work through a self-taught educational module detailing the anti-inflammatory dietary program. Once the module is completed, participants will be scheduled for one-on-one counseling sessions with a Registered Dietitian or a supervised Dietetic Intern or Medical Student on the research team to receive personalized guidance on implementation of the dietary intervention. A dietary recall will be conducted via the automated self-administered dietary assessment tool (ASA24®), which takes about 20 minutes to complete. This survey will be conducted on two non-consecutive days at each timepoint (baseline, 1 month, and 3 months).

• Other
  Autonomic Recalibration

Location