Using Audience Response Systems to Enhance Chronic, Noncancer Pain Knowledge Acquisition Among Veterans Journal Article

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Authors: Simmons, E. B.; Cosio, D.; Lin, E. H.
Article Title: Using Audience Response Systems to Enhance Chronic, Noncancer Pain Knowledge Acquisition Among Veterans
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Educating patients on factual information related to chronic pain and self-management improves knowledge, pain outcomes, and compliance. The current study assesses changes in pain knowledge among veterans who attended a 12-week "Pain Education School" and examines whether or not the addition of an active learning component (i.e., use of an audience response system [ARS]) leads to greater increases in pain knowledge. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A sample of 102 veterans 24-84 years of age who elected to participate in the 12-week pain education program was evaluated. Only a subgroup of veterans (n=69) had access to the ARS. RESULTS: A 2x2 repeated-measures multivariate analyses of variance was conducted to examine changes in pain knowledge, pain beliefs, stage of readiness to adopt a self-management approach, and depressive symptoms over time and to explore the impact of ARS use on pain knowledge acquisition. Participants reported a statistically significant difference between their pre- and posttest measures of pain beliefs (p=0.04), stage of readiness to adopt a self-management approach (p=0.00), and depressive symptoms (p=0.00). Veterans who used the ARS demonstrated significantly greater increases in pain knowledge acquisition after completing the pain education program than those who did not (p=0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Findings provide support for the incorporation of ARS in pain education programming to facilitate active learning and to increase knowledge acquisition. Findings also provide evidence for the effectiveness of pain education programs in improving veterans' attitudes about their pain, increasing readiness to engage in self-management, and decreasing depressive symptoms.
Journal Title: Telemedicine journal and e-health : the official journal of the American Telemedicine Association
Volume: 21
Issue: 7
ISSN: 1556-3669; 1530-5627
Publisher: Unknown  
Journal Place: United States
Date Published: 2015
Start Page: 557
End Page: 563
Language: eng
DOI/URL:

10.1089/tmj.2014.0160
Notes: JID: 100959949; OTO: NOTNLM; 2015/03/03 [aheadofprint]; ppublish