Implementing Internet-Assisted Treatment for Non-Cardiac Chest Pain

Sorlandet Hospital HF

Status: Active, not recruiting

Conditions: Chest Pain

Treatments: Behavioral: Internet-assisted treatment

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04094337

815486

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study aims to test Implementation of Internet-Assisted Treatment for Non-Cardiac Chest Pain at the Cardiac Department at Sørlandet Hospital. The internet-assisted treatment will be delivered by personnel working at the department. Effectiveness will be tested in an randomized controlled trial (RCT). The intervention has been tested in an RCT where the intervention was delivered by a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) specialist who also participated in developing the intervention. Presently the investigators will test if personnel working at the department, with minimal training in CBT, can deliver the intervention effectively.

Full description

Most patients with chest pain referred to hospital do not have a cardiac illness. Non-cardiac chest pain (NCCP) is often followed by persistent distress and reduced quality of life, and societal costs are nearly equal to those of cardiac patients. Research suggests that face-to-face CBT is effective, but this has not been implemented as standard treatment. The investigators plan to test an easily implementable internet-assisted treatment for NCCP patients delivered by personnel already working at the department.

Patients will be recruited at the chest pain unit at Sørlandet Hospital, Kristiansand, and will be recruited after they have finished their cardiac examination.

The intervention group will receive six web-based sessions, comprising information, exposure to physical activity, how worry can excess pain, physical reactions to pain and worry, consequences of avoidance, and specific panic treatment.

Enrollment: 169 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 70 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Non-Cardiac Chest Pain

Exclusion criteria

• Language difficulties
• Unable to perform at least moderate physical activity due to physical constraints
• Obvious cognitive impairment (e.g mentally retarded, psychotic, dementia or intoxicated)
• no regular access to a computer/tablet computer with internet connection

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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169 participants in 2 patient groups

Internet-assisted treatment

Experimental group

Description:

The intervention group will receive internet-assisted treatment comprising six web-based sessions, comprising information, exposure to physical activity, how worry can excess pain, physical reactions to pain and worry, consequences of avoidance, and specific panic treatment. The first session will be done at the hospital before discharge, the others at home. Between sessions there will be a brief telephone contact with a project worker.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Internet-assisted treatment

Control group

No Intervention group

Description:

The control group will receive treatment as usual, which is no specific treatment. The control group can however use the general health system as they like.