Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Text/Telephone-Delivered Chatbot Intervention for Chronic Pain Management Among High- Utilizing Veterans
Companion IQ, Inc
Summary
Chronic pain is a prevalent and debilitating condition among Veterans, often accompanied by depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and social isolation. Despite the availability of behavioral interventions many Veterans-particularly those with high in-person healthcare utilization-face barriers to accessing non-pharmacological pain management strategies. These barriers include limited clinician availability, geographic constraints, and digital exclusion among older or underserved populations. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary impact of My AI Companion, an automated, text/telephone-delivered chatbot designed to support chronic pain self-management among high-utilizing Veterans. The intervention offers a low-barrier approach to promoting symptom tracking, patient activation, and engagement in coping strategies-without requiring Internet access or clinician time.
Description
This is a prospective cohort study with a retrospective matched comparison group. We will enroll 200 Veterans receiving care at VA Augusta Health Care System who meet criteria for high in-person healthcare utilization and have a diagnosis of chronic pain. One hundred participants will use the chatbot over a 12-month period and complete assessments at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months. Primary outcomes include pain interference (PEG Scale), quality of life (VR-12), patient activation (PAM), self-efficacy, depression and anxiety symptoms (PROMIS), sleep disturbance (PROMIS), loneliness (UCLA), and s…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18+ years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria:Participants must meet all of the following eligibility criteria to be enrolled in the study: * Be a Veteran receiving care at the VA Augusta Health Care System Pain Medicine Service. * Be aged 18 or older. * Have a documented diagnosis of chronic pain (defined as pain persisting longer than 3 months). * Be classified as a high utilizer of VA in-person outpatient services, defined as having 4 or more in-person primary care, behavioral health, or pain-related visits within the past 6 months. * Be English-speaking. * Have access to a telephone (landline or cell phone). * Have…
Interventions
- BehavioralMy AI Companion
My AI Companion is an automated, text/telephone-delivered chatbot designed to support chronic pain self-management among high-utilizing Veterans.
Location
- VA Augusta Health Care SystemAugusta, Georgia