New programme expands access to primary care pain services through NGOs and digital interventions

Researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) have launched a programme that enhances access to primary care pain services in the community through nongovernmental organization (NGO) networks and digital interventions.

Through the 3-year Jockey Club Confront Pain with Ease (JC-COPE) project, the researchers will collaborate with NGOs to provide chronic pain care, such as exercise courses, in the community. Digital interventions, including virtual reality (VR) group-based therapies, and a mobile app, will be available for young individuals who need pain care.

“Accessibility is key in health service utilization. To expand the reach of pain care services in the community, we will provide operational manuals and training workshops to NGOs,” said JC-COPE project director, Dr Regina Sit of Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, CUHK.

The training workshops enable NGO collaborators to provide exercise courses to patients at community centres. Preliminary data showed a 29.17 percent improvement in self-rated physical disability due to low back pain among patients with low back pain who completed an exercise course for back strengthening and stretching. Their confidence in performing activities while in pain also increased by 22.35 percent.

The research team also set up an experimental VR laboratory for group-based physical and mental therapies. “With an immersive, three-dimensional and interactive environment, VR is an adjunct therapy [potentially effective] in managing chronic pain, [such as low back pain and neck pain],” Sit explained.

Preliminary results showed that after six VR breathing lessons, participants reported improvements in both Brief Pain Inventory (BPI)–severity score (3.90 vs 4.60) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7–item score (GAD-7; 4.06 vs 5.82) vs baseline.

Among participants who took VR-assisted yoga classes, BPI-severity scores were 3.7 at week 8 vs 4.0 at week 0, while GAD-7 scores were 5.4 vs 6.0. Among those taking conventional yoga classes, the corresponding BPI-severity scores were 4.1 vs 3.8, and GAD-7 scores were 5.2 vs 6.1. VR-assisted and conventional yoga classes demonstrated similar changes in BPI-severity (p=0.424) and GAD-7 (p=0.959) scores.

The research team is currently developing a mobile app that offers online health information and videos for daily management of chronic pain. The effectiveness of various pain care models and digital aids will be further evaluated to provide insights into better pain management.

JC-COPE project: VR-assisted yoga class