Can pain be managed through the Internet? A systematic review of randomized controlled trials

Abstract

Given the increasing penetration and health care related use of the Internet, we examined the evidence on the impact of Internet-based interventions on pain. A search of Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Library was conducted for literature published from 1990 to 2010 describing randomized controlled trials that assessed the effects of Internet-based interventions on patients with pain of any kind. Of 6724 citations, 17 articles were included. The studies evaluated the effects of interventions that provided cognitive and behavioral therapy, moderated peer support programs, or clinical visit preparation or follow-up support on 2503 people in pain. Six studies (35.3%) received scores associated with high quality. Most cognitive and behavioral therapy studies showed an improvement in pain (n=7, 77.8%), activity limitation (n=4, 57.1%) and costs associated with treatment (n=3, 100%), whereas effects on depression (n=2, 28.6%) and anxiety (n=2, 50%) were less consistent. There was limited (n=2 from same research group) but promising evidence that Internet-based peer support programs can lead to improvements in pain intensity, activity limitation, health distress and self-efficacy; limited (n=4 from same research group) but promising evidence that social networking programs can reduce pain in children and adolescents; and insufficient evidence on Internet-based clinical support interventions. Internet-based interventions seem promising for people in pain, but it is still unknown what types of patients benefit most. More well-designed studies with diverse patient groups, active control conditions, and a better description of withdrawals are needed to strengthen the evidence concerning the impact of Internet-based interventions on people in pain.

Integrating online communities and social networks with computerised treatment for insomnia: a qualitative study

“…Internetdelivered interventions with peer-to-peer support are showing positive effects on health outcomes. 55 The findings of this study provide detailed evidence on design features that users suggest may improve uptake and adherence to online health interventions for insomnia and other mental health complaints. Further research is needed to determine whether incorporation of these attributes is associated with increased use, greater adherence, and consequently improved health outcomes.…”

eHealth cognitieve gedragstherapie voor patiënten met chronische somatische aandoeningen

“…28 De resultaten van deze review zijn vergelijkbaar met eerdere reviews en meta-analyses die kleine tot middelgrote effecten vonden bij psychologische klachten, [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] voor patiënten met gezondheidsproblemen [19][20][21][22][23][24]57 en voor face-to-face CGt. 1,58,59 Nieuw in onze review is dat we ook de meer recente studies meenamen, de rol van behandelduur onderzochten en verschillen in effectiviteit voor specifieke categorieën van uitkomstmaten lieten zien.…”

“…[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] Steeds meer studies laten zien dat internetinterventies ook effectief kunnen zijn voor psychologische en lichamelijke klachten bij mensen met gezondheidsproblemen [19][20][21][22][23][24] en in het bevorderen van gezondheidsgedrag, zoals meer bewegen en gezonder eten. 25,26 Om te onderzoeken of eCGt eveneens effectief is bij chronische somatische aandoeningen, moeten de resultaten van het toenemende aantal recente studies systematisch geëvalueerd en kwantitatief geanalyseerd worden.…”

Internet-based interventions for pain management: A systematic review of randomised controlled trial (RCTs) conducted from 2010 to 2014

“…This review will synthesize the newly emerging evidence that involve broad range of internet based intervention in broader age group with broader range of diseases including migraine, sciatica, osteoarthritis, rheumatic arthritis, burn pain and others as all these types of pain badly impact the social and economic aspects of one's' life. Additionally, this review will expand upon previous review (Bender et al, 2011) by profoundly probing the recent literature for diverse internet-based interventions. We have tried to expand the findings of these two earlier syntheses by including the evidences El-Metwally 171 from more studies, and by including multidimensional effects of internet based intervention on these diverse groups of pain.…”

“…Previous review conducted in 2010 reported that internet-based interventions seem promising for people in pain (Bender et al, 2011). As with the growing population, the need for cost-effective methods that can reduce the traveling cost, increase the knowledge and confidence of managing the unrelieved pain and also positive change of individual in terms of both behavioral and clinical outcomes are in high demands (Fox, 2008).…”