Tailored Non-Pharmacotherapy Services for Chronic Pain: Testing Scalable and Pragmatic Approaches

Northwestern University will be a sub-award site for the UG3 phase of the Tailored Non-Pharmacotherapy Services for Chronic Pain: Testing Scalable and Pragmatic Approaches project. Christine Rini, PhD will serve as the Northwestern site Principal Investigator. This project will take an evidence supported form of cognitive behavioral therapy/supported self-care management and will provide it using two scalable modalities – a non-guided online variant of the intervention or a centrally telephone administered version. Both modalities will be compared to outcomes for patients receiving usual care services. In this UG3 phase, Dr. Rini will work with Dr. DeBar and the study team to finalize protocols involving use of the web-based painTRAINER program, develop instructional materials for the team and participants, train staff in use of the program, and provide technical support to help solve any problems that arise. She will participate in scheduled meetings including one in-person study kickoff meeting in Seattle. She will help interpret findings from data analyses and participate in preparation of manuscripts and presentations. Dr. Rini will establish a contract with People Designs, Inc., a professional software development and maintenance team that will prepare the painTRAINER program for use in this study, host it on their server, provide project support (e.g., analytics data compilation and reporting, user support, implementation planning), and take all actions necessary to ensure it is technologically robust throughout the study (including making ongoing incremental modifications to ensure compatibility, address previously uncaught bugs). Dr. Rini will oversee the work of People Designs, Inc.