Mentoring to improve patient-centered pain and opioid care
Research and Mentoring in Innovative Patient Oriented Pain and Opioid Science
This project uses data from thousands of people with chronic pain to compare a one-session online Empowered Relief program to an eight-session online cognitive behavioral therapy program for long-term pain outcomes, including for high-impact chronic pain.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Stanford University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Stanford, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11371562 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
As someone with chronic pain, this work re-uses data from over 3,000 participants in prior randomized trials to learn what treatments work best over time. The team will run new, hypothesis-driven secondary analyses and apply advanced analytics, including machine learning, to examine outcomes at 3, 6, and 12 months after treatment. A central question is whether a single-session online Empowered Relief program offers similar long-term benefits as an eight-session online CBT, and whether results differ for people with high-impact versus lower-impact chronic pain. The lead investigator will mentor junior researchers to carry out these analyses so findings can be moved toward better, more accessible care options.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults with chronic pain—especially those with high-impact chronic pain or who are seeking non-opioid behavioral treatments—are the primary population who could benefit or be candidates for related future trials.
Not a fit: People with short-term acute pain, children, or those needing immediate surgical or highly specialized medical interventions are unlikely to benefit from these behavioral treatment comparisons.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify which online behavioral program provides lasting pain relief for different people and help expand low-burden, non-opioid treatment options.
How similar studies have performed: Cognitive behavioral therapy is a well-established treatment for chronic pain and brief digital interventions have shown promise, while direct long-term non-inferiority comparisons between one-session and multi-session programs are relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Stanford, United States
- Stanford University — Stanford, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Darnall, Beth Denise — Stanford University
- Study coordinator: Darnall, Beth Denise
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.