Pain Coping Skills Training Beneficial During Maintenance Hemodialysis

MONDAY, Dec. 30, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Pain coping skills training (PSCT) is beneficial for patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis and experiencing chronic pain, according to a study published online Dec. 30 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Laura M. Dember, M.D., from the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia, and colleagues examined the effectiveness of a cognitive behavioral intervention, PSCT, on pain interference in a multicenter randomized clinical trial. Adults undergoing maintenance hemodialysis and experiencing chronic pain were randomly assigned to PSCT or usual care (319 and 324 participants, respectively).

The researchers found that the PSCT group had a larger reduction in the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) Interference score than the usual care group at week 12 (between-group difference, −0.49). At 24 weeks, the effect persisted (between-group difference in BPI Interference score, −0.48), but the effect was attenuated at week 36 (between-group difference, −0.34). A decrease in BPI Interference score of more than 1 point (minimal clinically important difference) occurred in 50.9 and 36.6 percent of patients in the PSCT and usual care groups, respectively, at 12 weeks and in 55.0 versus 42.8 percent, respectively, at 24 weeks (odds ratios, 1.79 and 1.59, respectively). For secondary outcomes, favorable changes were also seen for PSCT.

“While the effect on the overall cohort was of modest magnitude, the intervention resulted in a clinically meaningful improvement in pain interference for a substantial proportion of participants,” the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text