Non-cardiac Chest Pain: Effect of Cognitive Therapy Administered as Guided Self-help

Sorlandet Hospital HF

Status: Active, not recruiting

Conditions: Chest Pain

Treatments: Behavioral: Guided self-help

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03096925

2016031 (Other Grant/Funding Number)

815443

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study aims to test an easily implementable web-based cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) self-help intervention designed for non-cardiac chest pain patients, and compare effectiveness and cost-effectiveness to treatment as usual in an randomized controlled trial (RCT).

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. We plan to test an easily implementable web-based guided self-help intervention for NCCP patients.

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: 160 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 70 years old

Volunteers: No 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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160 participants in 2 patient groups

Intervention group

Experimental group

Description:

The intervention group will receive guided self-help 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: Guided self-help

Control group

No Intervention group

Description:

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