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Completed

NCT Number: NCT06653114

Development and Evaluation of an Educational Program for the Management of Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain

A controlled randomized study will be conducted to assess the effectiveness of the educational program before and after its implementation. An invitation to participate will be extended to physiotherapists interested in the training program. More than 64 physiotherapists will be randomly assigned to two equal groups. All participants will sign an informed consent form before the commencement of the study and will be informed about the study's content, duration, and their right to withdraw at any time. A structured educational program consisting of two parts will be developed, encompassing three core modules (Part A) on the management of chronic pain and three core modules (Part B) on communication skills and techniques. The modules in Part A of the educational program will focus on elucidating the neurophysiological mechanisms of pain, performing differential assessments based on chronic musculoskeletal pain phenotypes, and addressing and managing the factors contributing to patients' pain experiences and rehabilitation, with a particular emphasis on pain neuroscience education. The modules in Part B of the educational program will concentrate on the development of communication skills essential for effective interaction between patients and physiotherapists. The first group will complete all modules of the educational program, while the second group (control group) will only participate in the Part A education modules. The effectiveness of the program will be evaluated before and after its implementation by two independent examiners through the administration of an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) and the use of reliable and valid questionnaires and scales.

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Key information

Conditions

Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain Clinical Communication

Age range

18 year–65 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of Thessaly

Lamia, 35132, Greece

About this study

A controlled randomized study will be conducted to assess the effectiveness of the educational program before and after its implementation. An invitation to participate will be extended to physiotherapists interested in the training program. More than 64 physiotherapists will be randomly assigned to two equal groups. All participants will sign an informed consent form before the commencement of the study and will be informed about the study's content, duration, and their right to withdraw at any time. A structured educational program consisting of two parts will be developed, encompassing three core modules (Part A) on the management of chronic pain and three core modules (Part B) on communication skills and techniques. The modules in Part A of the educational program will focus on elucidating the neurophysiological mechanisms of pain, performing differential assessments based on chronic musculoskeletal pain phenotypes, and addressing and managing the factors contributing to patients' pain experiences and rehabilitation, with a particular emphasis on pain neuroscience education. The modules in Part B of the educational program will concentrate on the development of communication skills essential for effective interaction between patients and physiotherapists. The first group will complete all modules of the educational program, while the second group (control group) will only participate in the Part A education modules. The effectiveness of the program will be evaluated before and after its implementation by two independent examiners through the administration of an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) and the use of reliable and valid questionnaires/scales. Upon completion of the program and its evaluation, participants in the control group will have the opportunity to complete the communication skills training as well.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Physiotherapists registered with the Panhellenic Association of Physiotherapists
  • >2 years of clinical experience with chronic musculoskeletal patients

Exclusion criteria

  • Participants who have attended any educational program or seminar related to pain education, pain neuroscience education, or a training program related to improving communication skills lasting more than 6 hours

Treatment and study plan

Education in Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain

Other

Improving Knowledge and Skills in Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain (Assessment and Management)

Education in Communication Skills

Other

Developing Communication Skills (Empathy, Motivational Interviewing, Shared Decision-making)

Primary outcomes

  1. Change on Baseline in Knowledge on Pain (the Knowledge and Perceptions about Pain (KNAP) Questionnaire at Week 5 and Week 12

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 5 and Week 16

    The Knowledge and Perceptions about Pain (KNAP) Questionnaire is a 30-item questionnaire. These questions are designed to assess various aspects of pain knowledge and beliefs, including the understanding of pain mechanisms, treatment approaches, and the impact of pain on individuals. It uses a Likert Scale (1 strongly disagree - 6 strongly agree). A higher KNAP score indicates that an individual's knowledge and attitudes about pain align more closely with current pain neuroscience.

  2. Change on Baseline in Knowledge on Pain (The Revised Neurophysiology of Pain Questionnaire (R-NPQ) at Week 5 and Week 12

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 5 and Week 16

    The revised Neurophysiology of Pain Questionnaire (R-NPQ) developed to assess knowledge about the biological and physiological mechanisms of pain. Created by Dr. Lorimer Moseley in 2003 and revised by Ostelo et al. 2013. It evaluates understanding of how the nervous system and brain process pain. The total score is the sum of points from all correctly answered questions.

  3. Change on Baseline in Empathy (The Toronto Components Empathy Questionnaire (ECQ) at Week 5 and Week 12

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 5 and Week 16

    The Toronto Components Empathy Questionnaire (ECQ) is designed to assess different aspects of empathy, particularly in clinical settings (Spreng et al., 2009). Developed to measure how individuals perceive and respond to others' emotions. 26 items are allocated for professional life, with an equal distribution between cognitive and emotional empathy.

  4. Change on Baseline in using of Share Decision-Making (Shared Decision-Making Questionnaire (SDM-Q-9) at Week 5 and Week 12

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 5 and Week 16

    The SDM-Q-9 is a validated 9-item questionnaire designed to evaluate patients' perceptions of shared decision-making (SDM) (Kriston et al., 2010). Each item represents a distinct step in the SDM process and is rated on a 6-point Likert scale from 0 ("completely disagree") to 5 ("completely agree").

  5. Change on Baseline in communication and clinical skills using an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) at Week 5 and Week 12

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 5 and Week 16

    The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is a comprehensive and structured assessment to evaluate clinical skills and competencies in healthcare professionals. OSCE will be used to assess the following focused clinical skills of participants: history taking, gathering information, information provided in patients, empathy, share decision-making, motivational interviewing.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Thessaly

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Development and Evaluation of an Educational Program for the Management of Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain, With an Emphasis on Pain Neuroscience and the Development of Communication Skills for Physiotherapists

Important dates

Study start
2024
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Oct 22, 2024
Registry last updated
Mar 19, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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