Pilot of Pragmatic SBIRT Study
Substance Use Disorders, Pain
About this trial
This is an interventional screening trial for Substance Use Disorders
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- Post-9/11 Veteran applying for MSD-related compensation, as ascertained from filed claim,
- Reports pain ≥4 on the pain Numerical Rating Scale (threshold for moderately severe pain);
- Availability of a landline or cellular telephone for SBIRT-PM.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Reports inability to participate during the study enrollment call
- Received three or more non-pharmacological pain treatment modalities (as previously categorized within the last 12 weeks from VA.
Sites / Locations
- Yale University
- VA Connecticut Healthcare System (VACHS)
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Experimental
SBIRT-PM
Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment for Pain Management (SBIRT-PM) was developed to promote engagement in multi-modal non-pharmacological pain management among compensation-seeking Veterans with chronic pain. In SBIRT-PM, a clinician meets with the Veteran after the compensation examination to address the presenting MSD complaint. The clinician addresses Veterans' motivation for multi-modal pain care, and explains how pain can be managed using a variety of non-pharmacological pain management services. The clinician spells out how those services can be accessed at VA. Using permissive language about how pain is commonly self-medicated with substances, the clinician transitions to inquiries about use of prescription and non-prescription substances. The clinician then attempts to motivate Veterans to change their behavior if they are misusing substances. Thus, SBIRT-PM addresses the Veteran's presenting pain complaint first and nascent substance use subsequently.