Interactive Sections Of An Internet-Based Intervention Increase Patient Empowerment: A Study With Chronic Back Pain Patients

University of Lugano

Status: Completed

Conditions: Group2 (Intervention) Access to an Interactive Version of the Website Containing Both Static and Interactive Features; Group 1 (Control): Access to a Static Version of the Website Containing Only Static Features (i.e. Library, First Aid, and FAQ)

Treatments: Other: Internet-based

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02114788

FNS100013_130030/1

Details and patient eligibility

About

The aim of the study is to study how to improve patients' management of chronic back pain, particularly their management of prescription medication, through increasing health literacy and patient empowerment through an internet based intervention. We do this by designing both patient education materials and physician communication strategies to increase literacy and volitional components of patients. We will test two conditions using a website called Oneself: one providing only information (literacy-only control) and a second providing relational communications designed to increase both literacy and volitional empowerment. To test the self-management enhancing effects of empowerment and health literacy, we will conduct a longitudinal experiment with 51 chronich back pain patients over two months. This span of time is the minimum necessary to achieve a systematic change in self-management and literacy skills, increasing also the range of possible decisions to be made and actions to be real-ized by the patients.

Enrollment: 50 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

1. aged > 18 years,
2. having suffered from back pain for at least 3 months,
3. no concurrent involvement in other studies.

Exclusion criteria

1. No access/limited access to computer and internet
2. concurrent diseases

Trial design

50 participants in 2 patient groups

group 1

Description:

No intervention

Group 2

Description:

Intervention with interactive website

Treatment:

Other: Internet-based