Comparing Non-Medicine Strategies for Improving Low Back Pain
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: ENCompaSS (Education, Navigated Care, and Supported Self-Management) with VA Stepped Usual Care.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Chronic Low-back Pain (cLBP), High-Impact Chronic Pain (HICP). Basic parameters: from 18 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- United States
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →
Official title
Comparing Strategies to Improve Non-Pharmacologic Pain Relief for Adults With Back Pain (The ENCompaSS Trial)
Overview
The goal of this clinical trial is to help veterans manage high-impact chronic pain (HICP) in the lower back. The trial will use a program, ENCompaSS (Education, Navigated Care, and Supported Self-Management) designed to reduce pain more than usual care alone. Researchers will assess a) the impact of ENCompaSS, b) identify which veterans benefit the most, and c) how this program can be delivered more broadly in other clinics and health systems. What Will Happen: Veterans in this clinical trial will be randomly placed into one of two groups. ENCompaSS group (intervention): * Have at least three phone calls with a trained clinician over about 12 weeks * Watch short online videos about managing pain * Complete surveys before the study and again at 2, 4, 6, and 12 months Usual Stepped Care group: * Will continue with regular care * Complete the same surveys at the same time points
Detailed description
ENCompaSS (Education, Navigated Care, and Supported Self-Management), is a type 1 hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial conducted within three Veterans Heath Administration (VHA) systems. The intervention is a patient-centered, navigator-assisted program designed to inform and guide Veterans on non-pharmacologic treatment options.
The total study duration, including enrollment and follow-up, is approximately 30 months. A total of 530 veterans with high-impact chronic pain (HICP) due to low back pain (LBP) will be enrolled and randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive either the ENCompaSS intervention or usual stepped care within the VA health system. In keeping with the pragmatic design, participating VHA sites will receive standardized training and implementation support but will deliver the intervention using their existing clinical staff and resources.
Patient-reported outcomes will be collected via telephone-administered Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) surveys at baseline and at 2, 4, 6, and 12 months post-randomization. The primary outcome will be assessed at 6 months, with additional follow-up to evaluate longer-term effects 12 months post randomization.
Interventions
- Other ENCompaSS (Education, Navigated Care, and Supported Self-Management) with VA Stepped Usual Care
The ENCompaSS pain program was designed based on the Chronic Care Model (CCM), a widely used framework for organizing care for people with chronic diseases. In this model, the care provided for low back pain (LBP) meeting criteria for high-impact chronic pain (HICP), intentionally brings together the patient, provider, and system interventions necessary to accomplish the overall goal of improving pain outcomes and related co-morbidities. Our previous experiences with navigation in a previous stu
Primary outcome measures
- Pain interference with normal activities as assessed by PROMIS (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System) Short Form 8a v1.0 score [Time frame: From enrollment to 6 Months]
Secondary outcome measures (7)
- Average Ratings of Self-Reported Sleep Quality [Time frame: Baseline to 6 Months]
- Average Ratings of Self-Reported Physical Function [Time frame: Baseline to 6 Months]
- Average Self-Reported Pain Intensity Ratings [Time frame: Baseline to 6 Months]
- Average Self-Reported Endorsement of Depression Symptoms [Time frame: Baseline to 6 Months]
- Average Self-Reported Endorsement of Anxiety Symptoms [Time frame: Baseline to 6 Months]
- Number of Pain-Related Emergency Department (ED) Visits [Time frame: 12 Months post randomization]
- Number of Non-Pharmacologic Pain Care Visits [Time frame: 6 Months and 12 Months post randomization]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Be age 18 years old or older
- Have a VA outpatient clinic visit for low back pain within the previous 30 days
- Be enrolled in a participating primary care clinic
- Have high impact chronic pain per Graded Chronic Pain Scale (most days or every day on first 2 items)
- Valid telephone access
- Ability to provide informed consent
Exclusion criteria
- Are currently hospitalized or residing in a nursing home
- Have cognitive impairment or lack of decision-making capacity
- Have a serious mental illness (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, recent psychiatric hospitalization, high risk suicide flag)
- Are unable to communicate by telephone or have no telephone access
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: No
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Single blind
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
Study locations
United States · 1 center
- Durham VA — Durham
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07679178 · Pro00120495 · BPS-2024-40339