Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27919285›Full record

Trial reportTrials2016

A randomised, patient-assessor blinded, sham-controlled trial of external non-invasive peripheral nerve stimulation for chronic neuropathic pain following peripheral nerve injury (EN-PENS trial): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Selina Johnson, Andreas Goebel, Roberta Richey, Emily Holmes, Dyfrig Hughes

Open access · goldAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Trials, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.4field-weighted citation impact, top 31% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
  2. Peripheral nerve repair: innovations and future directions.Journal of translational medicine · 2026
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Selina JohnsonThe Walton Centre NHS Trust, Liverpool, UK. selina.johnson@thewaltoncentre.nhs.uk.ORCID 0000-0001-8788-4512
Andreas GoebelThe Walton Centre NHS Trust, Liverpool, UK.
Roberta RicheyThe Walton Centre NHS Trust, Liverpool, UK.
Emily HolmesCentre for Health Economics and Medicines Evaluation, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2PZ, UK.
Dyfrig HughesCentre for Health Economics and Medicines Evaluation, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2PZ, UK.
University of Liverpool · GBBangor University · GB

Funding

Department of Health PB-PG-0215-36039
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEight percent of people in the UK are estimated to have persistent (chronic) neuropathic pain, and for many there is no effective treatment. Medications are the most common first-line treatment but often have limited benefit or adverse events. Surgical treatments, such as spinal cord stimulation, are then often considered. External non-invasive peripheral nerve stimulation (EN-PENS) is a form of electrical stimulation that involves placing a pen-shaped electrode onto the skin, which can be easily self-administered by patients. Observational studies suggest that EN-PENS may relieve pain for people with localised neuropathic pain; however, there is currently no evidence from controlled trials to confirm the efficacy and confidently determine the effect size for patients with longstanding neuropathic pain.

methodsEN-PENS is a single-site, blinded, randomised controlled parallel-group superiority add-on trial with a 1:1 allocation ratio, designed to evaluate the efficacy of treatment versus control treatment in 76 patients with longstanding neuropathic pain following peripheral nerve injury. Patients with moderate to -severe neuropathic pain following peripheral nerve injury will be randomised to receive either the active or control treatment, followed by an optional treatment extension or treatment switch to the alternative treatment arm. The primary outcome is average 24-h pain intensity recorded on an 11-point (0-10) numerical rating scale, averaged over the last 7 days of treatment. DISCUSSION: Study results will be used to inform potential treatment efficacy and cost-effectiveness of EN-PENS for this population group.

trial registrationISRCTN53432663 . Registered on 7 July 2016.

Indexed as

Clinical ProtocolsElectric Stimulation TherapyChronic PainHumansNeuralgiaOutcome Assessment, Health CarePeripheral Nerve InjuriesSample SizeChronic painExternal non-invasive peripheral nerve stimulationNeuropathic painPeripheral nerve injury

Identifiers

PMID27919285
PMCPMC5139024
OpenAlexW2560707086

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.