Mindfulness: Improving Pain in Veterans
A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine reports the efficacy of telehealth-delivered mindfulness-based interventions (MBI). Over 690 veterans with chronic pain and a psychiatric comorbidity completed a trial of either group or self-paced MBI vs usual care. The group and self-paced MBI produced a “likelihood of 30% improvement from baseline.” Primary outcome measures of pain related function were measured at 10 weeks, 6 months, and 1 year.
Good news: MBIs provided via telehealth lessened pain interference scores at all 3 time points, significantly. They are a low resource way to improve function, lessen pain and biopsychosocial issues, potentially helping to “accelerate and improve the implementation of nonpharmacological pain treatment in health care systems.”
Secondary outcomes, below, showed significantly better scores in both MBI groups vs the control group:
- Pain intensity
- Physical function
- Anxiety/depression
- Fatigue
- Sleep issues
- PTSD
- Social participation and activities
- Patient rated pain improvement
For more information: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2822046
