Internet-based interventions for pain management: A systematic review of randomised controlled trial (RCTs) conducted from 2010 to 2014
Open accessAbstract
Limited access to pain management programs was identified as one of the hindering factors in pain treatment. Several internet-based interventions have been developed to improve accessibility. A systematic review of trials of such programs in 2010 documented a preliminary promising effect. A PubMed electronic search was used to identify a systematic randomized controlled trail (RCTs) published 1 January, 2010 to 4 November, 2014 that examined the effectiveness of internet-based pain management programs. The methodological vigorousness of trials was assessed by Jadad scoring system. Out of the 20 RCTs, 5 were on chronic pain, 2 were on acute non-specific pain, while 13 were on disease related pain (rheumatological and neurological diseases, burns, post-operative and cancer-related). Most studies had moderate methodological quality and showed consistent results with respect to effectiveness of internet based programs in reduction of pain, improvement in functionality and psychological well-being. Whilst the current systematic review found a significant pain reduction attributed to internet-based pain interventions further, high-quality RCT are needed to confirm such promising findings. Key words: Pain, ache, migraine, sciatica, headache, management, treatment, technology, computer, computer-based, internet, internet-based, web, web-based, virtual.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Previous systematic reviews on Web-based interventions for pain concluded that results were promising in terms of pain reduction and improvement of functional and emotional well-being.
“Overall, their authors concluded that results were promising in terms of pain reduction, and improvement of functional and emotional well-being.”
From Tailored web-based interventions for pain: Systematic review and meta-analysis (2017) · cites this paper as [16]
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
Survey of chronic pain in Europe: Prevalence, impact on daily life, and treatment
Breivik, H., Collett, B., Ventafridda, V., Cohen, R., & Gallacher, D. (2006) · European Journal of Pain · doi:10.1016/j.ejpain.2005.06.009 · Cited by 5,486 · see citing works
Patient Self-management of Chronic Disease in Primary Care
Bodenheimer, T. (2002) · JAMA · doi:10.1001/jama.288.19.2469 · Cited by 3,598 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Self employed means the use of internet based intervention, that is both cost-effective and user friendly (Bodenheimer et al., 2002).”
BackgroundOrganizing Care for Patients with Chronic Illness
Wagner, E. H., Austin, B. T., & Korff, M. V. (1996) · The Milbank Quarterly · doi:10.2307/3350391 · Cited by 2,877 · see citing works
Internet-administered cognitive behavior therapy for health problems: a systematic review
Cuijpers, P., van Straten, A., & Andersson, G. (2008) · Journal of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1007/s10865-007-9144-1 · Cited by 555 · see citing works
Exercise and chronic low back pain: what works?
Liddle, D., Baxter, D. G., & Gracey, J. H. (2003) · Pain · doi:10.1016/j.pain.2003.10.017 · Cited by 345 · see citing works
Access to pain treatment as a human right
Lohman, D., Schleifer, R. A., & Amon, J. J. (2010) · BMC Medicine · doi:10.1186/1741-7015-8-8 · Cited by 327 · see citing works
Effect of Telecare Management on Pain and Depression in Patients With Cancer
Kroenke, K., Theobald, D., Wu, J., Norton, K., Morrison, G. C., Carpenter, J. S., & Tu, W. (2010) · JAMA · doi:10.1001/jama.2010.944 · Cited by 325 · see citing works
Buhrman, M., Skoglund, A., Husell, J., Bergström, K., Gordh, T., Hursti, T., Bendelin, N., Furmark, T., & Andersson, G. (2013) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.brat.2013.02.010 · Cited by 281 · cited 7× · see citing works
“This inconsistency was explained as variability in the internet based CBT, while in our review, more studies focused on chronic pain of back pain and non-specific, only one study was related to migraine (Bromberg et al., 2012) and one about fibromyalgia (FM) (Davis and Zautra, 2013).”
BackgroundInfluentialCan pain be managed through the Internet? A systematic review of randomized controlled trials
Bender, J. L., Radhakrishnan, A., Diorio, C., Englesakis, M., & Jadad, A. R. (2011) · Pain · doi:10.1016/j.pain.2011.02.012 · Cited by 223 · see citing works
Primary care provider concerns about management of chronic pain in community clinic populations
Upshur, C., Luckmann, R., & Savageau, J. A. (2006) · Journal of general internal medicine · doi:10.1111/j.1525-1497.2006.00412.x · Cited by 210 · see citing works
Stinson, J., McGrath, P. J., HODNETT, E. D., Feldman, B. M., Duffy, C. M., Huber, A. M., Tucker, L. B., Hetherington, C. R., Tse, S. M. L., Spiegel, L. R., et al. (2010) · The Journal of Rheumatology · doi:10.3899/jrheum.091327 · Cited by 209 · see citing works
Bossen, D., Veenhof, C., Beek, K. E. V., Spreeuwenberg, P. M. M., Dekker, J., & de Bakker, D. H. (2013) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.2662 · Cited by 193 · see citing works
A randomized controlled evaluation of an online chronic pain self management program
Ruehlman, L. S., Karoly, P., & Enders, C. (2012) · Pain · doi:10.1016/j.pain.2011.10.025 · Cited by 172 · see citing works
An Online Self-help CBT Intervention for Chronic Lower Back Pain
Carpenter, K. M., Stoner, S. A., Mundt, J. M., & Stoelb, B. (2012) · The Clinical Journal of Pain · doi:10.1097/ajp.0b013e31822363db · Cited by 157 · see citing works
Meredith, P., Strong, J., & Feeney, J. A. (2006) · Pain · doi:10.1016/j.pain.2005.10.008 · Cited by 156 · see citing works
Davis, M. C., & Zautra, A. J. (2013) · Annals of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1007/s12160-013-9513-7 · Cited by 151 · see citing works
Introduction to evaluation of interactive health communication applications
Eng, T. R. (1999) · American Journal of Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/s0749-3797(98)00107-x · Cited by 148 · see citing works
A Randomized Trial of a Web‐Based Intervention to Improve Migraine Self‐Management and Coping
Bromberg, J., Wood, M. E., Black, R. A., Surette, D. A., Zacharoff, K. L., & Chiauzzi, E. J. (2012) · Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain · doi:10.1111/j.1526-4610.2011.02031.x · Cited by 136 · see citing works
painACTION-Back Pain: A Self-Management Website for People with Chronic Back Pain
Chiauzzi, E., Pujol, L. A., Wood, M., Bond, K., Black, R., Yiu, E., & Zacharoff, K. (2010) · Pain Medicine · doi:10.1111/j.1526-4637.2010.00879.x · Cited by 130 · see citing works
Miller, K., Rodger, S., Kipping, B., & Kimble, R. M. (2011) · Burns · doi:10.1016/j.burns.2010.12.008 · Cited by 112 · see citing works
Krein, S. L., Kadri, R., Hughes, M. V., Kerr, E. A., Piette, J. D., Holleman, R. G., Kim, H. M., & Richardson, C. R. (2013) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.2605 · Cited by 108 · see citing works
Rosser, B. A., Vowles, K. E., Keogh, E., Eccleston, C., & Mountain, G. A. (2009) · Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare · doi:10.1258/jtt.2009.090116 · Cited by 101 · see citing works
RAHelp: an online intervention for individuals with rheumatoid arthritis
Shigaki, C. L., Smarr, K. L., Siva, C., Ge, B., Musser, D., & Johnson, R. (2013) · Arthritis Care & Research · doi:10.1002/acr.22042 · Cited by 86 · see citing works
Web-Based Self-Management for Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: A Practical, Randomized Trial
Miller, D. M., Moore, S. M., Fox, R. J., Atreja, A., Fu, A. Z., Lee, J.-C., Saupe, W., Stadtler, M., Chakraborty, S., Harris, C. M., et al. (2011) · Telemedicine Journal and e-Health · doi:10.1089/tmj.2010.0133 · Cited by 73 · see citing works
Martorella, G., Côté, J., Racine, M., & Choinière, M. (2012) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.2070 · Cited by 65 · see citing works
Simón, D., Kriston, L., von Wolff, A., Buchholz, A., Vietor, C., Hecke, T., Loh, A., Zenker, M., Weiss, M., & Härter, M. C. (2011) · Patient Education and Counseling · doi:10.1016/j.pec.2011.10.009 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Self-management for osteoarthritis of the knee: Does mode of delivery influence outcome?
Coleman, S., McQuade, J., Rose, J., Inderjeeth, C. A., Carroll, G. J., & Briffa, K. (2010) · BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders · doi:10.1186/1471-2474-11-56 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
Phillips, C. J., & Schopflocher, D. (2008) · Health care and disease management · doi:10.1002/9783527622665.ch4 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Law, E. F., Murphy, L. K., & Palermo, T. M. (2012) · Journal of Pediatric Psychology · doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jss057 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Randomized trial of a DVD intervention to improve readiness to self-manage joint pain
Elander, J., Robinson, G., & Morris, J. M. (2011) · Pain · doi:10.1016/j.pain.2011.06.026 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Cruz, B. D. P., del Pozo-Cruz, J., Adsuar, J. C., Parraça, J. A., & Gusi, N. (2013) · Psychology Health & Medicine · doi:10.1080/13548506.2013.765019 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Management options of chronic low back pain. A randomized blinded clinical trial
Nazzal, M. E., Saadah, M. A., Saadah, L. M., Alomari, M. A., Al-Oudat, Z. A., Nazzal, M. S., Beshari, M. E., Alzaabi, A., & Alnuaimi, Y. I. (2013) · Neurosciences · doi:10.17712/1658-3183.2008 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
The Chronic Disease Self-Management Program
Gerber, B. S. (2006) · Medical Care · doi:10.1097/01.mlr.0000244923.80923.1e · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 4
- Adams K, Greiner A, Corrigan J (2006). Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on the Crossing the Quality Chasm: next steps toward a new health care system. Report of a summit: the 1st Annual Crossing the Quality Chasm Summit-a focus on communities. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
- Boulanger A, Clark AJ, Squire P, Cui E, Horbay GLA (2007). Chronic pain in Canada: have we improved our management of chronic non- cancer pain? Pain Research & Management: J. Canadian Pain Soc. 12(1):39.
- Lamb SE, Lall RS, Hansen Z, Castelnuovo E, Withers EJ, Nichols V, Underwood M (2010). A multicentred randomised controlled trial of a primary care-based cognitive behavioral programme for low back pain: the back skills training (BeST) trial. Health Technol. Assessment. 14(41):1-281.
- Peng P, Choiniere M, Dion D, Intrater H, LeFort S, Lynch M (2007). STOPPAIN Investigators Group Challenges in accessing multidisciplinary pain treatment facilities in Canada. Canadian J. Anaesthesia 54(12):977-984.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Tailored web-based interventions for pain: Systematic review and meta-analysis
Martorella, G., Boitor, M., Berube, M., Fredericks, S., Le May, S., & Gélinas, C. (2017) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.8826 · Cited by 88 · see citing works
The effect of tailored Web-based interventions on pain in adults: a systematic review protocol
Martorella, G., Gélinas, C., Bérubé, M., Boitor, M., Fredericks, S., & LeMay, S. (2016) · Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1186/s13643-016-0233-5 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
- Authors
- Ashraf, E. M.
- Venue
- Journal of Public Health and Epidemiology
- Publisher
- Academic Journals
- Published
- 2015-05-31
- Volume
- 7
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 170-182
- ISSN
- 2141-2316 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2563664367
- Cited by
- 14
- References
- 33
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 2 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 1
- FWCI
- 0.21
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- Journal of Public Health and Epidemiology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Pediatric Pain Management Techniques
- Keywords
- online intervention, pain management, chronic pain, cancer pain, postoperative pain, burn pain, neurological pain, analgesia, functionality, psychological well-being
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
