A patient activation intervention in primary care for patients with chronic pain on long term opioid therapy: results from a randomized control trial

Background Given significant risks associated with long-term prescription opioid use, there is a need for non-pharmacological interventions for treating chronic pain. Activating patients to manage chronic pain has the potential to improve health outcomes. The ACTIVATE study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a 4-session patient activation intervention in primary care for patients on long-term opioid therapy. Methods The two-arm, pragmatic, randomized trial was conducted in two primary care clinics in an integrated health system from June 2015—August 2018. Consenting participants were randomized to the intervention ( n = 189) or usual care ( n = 187). Participants completed online and interviewer-administered surveys at baseline, 6- and 12- months follow-up. Prescription opioid use was extracted from the EHR. The primary outcome was patient activation assessed by the Patient Activation Measure (PAM). Secondary outcomes included mood, function, overall health, non-pharmacologic pain management strategies, and patient portal use. We conducted a repeated measure analysis and reported between-group differences at 12 months. Results At 12 months, the intervention and usual care arms had similar PAM scores. However, compared to usual care at 12 months, the intervention arm demonstrated: less moderate/severe depression (odds ratio [OR] = 0.40, 95%CI 0.18–0.87); higher overall health (OR = 3.14, 95%CI 1.64–6.01); greater use of the patient portal’s health/wellness resources (OR = 2.50, 95%CI 1.42–4.40) and lab/immunization history (OR = 2.70, 95%CI 1.29–5.65); and greater use of meditation (OR = 2.72; 95%CI 1.61–4.58) and exercise/physical therapy (OR = 2.24, 95%CI 1.29–3.88). At 12 months, the intervention arm had a higher physical health measure (mean difference 1.63; 95%CI: 0.27–2.98). Conclusion This trial evaluated the effectiveness of a primary care intervention in improving patient activation and patient-reported outcomes among adults with chronic pain on long-term opioid therapy. Despite a lack of improvement in patient activation, a brief intervention in primary care can improve outcomes such as depression, overall health, non-pharmacologic pain management, and engagement with the health system. Trial Registration The study was registered on 10/27/14 on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02290223).