Supporting Research in Pain Management for Veterans and Military Service Members
Supporting Research in Pain Management for Veterans and Military Service Members

Learning to Apply Mindfulness to Pain (LAMP)

Project Summary

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is the predominant MBI offered within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and other health care systems, however certain features within that intervention pose significant barriers to widespread implementation, for patients and for VHA facilities. The LAMP project (Learning to Apply Mindfulness to Pain) is expected to result in two approaches for delivering non-pharmacological treatment for chronic pain—in this case, Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) that incorporate mobile application technology—that will be able to reach large numbers of Veterans.

Principal Investigator

Diana Burgess, PhD

Diana Burgess, PhD

Impact and Contribution to PMC and Society

There is a pressing need to provide effective, nonpharmacological treatment to the vast number of Veterans with chronic musculoskeletal pain. Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) are one such approach shown to be effective for treating chronic pain and comorbid conditions (e.g., PTSD, insomnia, depression, and substance abuse). The long-term objective of this study is to reduce chronic musculoskeletal (MSK) pain and co-morbid conditions among Veterans through scalable, non-pharmacologic, evidence-based strategies that are Veteran-Centric.  The approaches are designed to optimize Veteran engagement, adherence and sustainability in order to achieve that objective.

Details

Co-Investigators:  Kelli Allen, PhD; Gert Bronfort, PhD, MS, DC; Roni Evans, PhD, DC; John Ferguson, PhD; Alex Haley, JD, MBA; Marianne Matthias, PhD; Laura Meis, PhD; Melissa Polusny, PhD; Brent Taylor, PhD, MPH; Stephanie Taylor, PhD, MPH

Sponsoring Institution:  Department of Defense (DoD)

Institute Providing Oversight:  Department of Defense (DoD)

Program Officer:  Henry Nothnagel

Project Scientist:  Claudio Ortiz

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:  Awaiting identifier

Trial Status:  Data collection has not started

Project Narrative

The LAMP project (Learning to Apply Mindfulness to Pain) is expected to result in two approaches for delivering non-pharmacological treatment for chronic pain—in this case, Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) that incorporate mobile application technology—that will be able to reach large numbers of Veterans.

The Mobile+Group MBI consists of pre-recorded modules presented by a trained mindfulness instructor that are viewed in face-to-face group settings and interspersed with discussions led by a facilitator (who is not required to be an expert in mindfulness). The Mobile MBI consists only of the same training and practice modules.

Our project also focuses on adapting interventions to fit the needs of women Veterans, a priority population that is at elevated risk for chronic MSK pain and mental health comorbidities, and would be the first study to have a sample large enough to be able to examine the effects of MBIs on women with chronic pain. The LAMP trial will be conducted at four VHA facilities across the United States, and will enroll 750 Veterans, with at least 375 women Veterans.

Diana Burgess, PhD, Professor, Dept. of Medicine, University of Minnesota, talks about how she got involved in studying pain management and working with the Pain Management Collaboratory. 

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