Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38451694›Full record

ArticleJMIR research protocols2024

Patients' Experiences of Digital Health Interventions for the Self-Management of Chronic Pain: Protocol for a Systematic Review and Thematic Synthesis.

Ashleigh Main, Haruno McCartney, Maryam Ibrar, Harleen Kaur Rai, Fiona Muirhead, Alexandra Mavroeidi, Roma Maguire

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JMIR research protocols, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.9field-weighted citation impact, top 27% 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

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 2 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Article
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

7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Ashleigh Main *Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0000-4639-7486
Haruno McCartneyDepartment of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0006-1740-3078
Maryam IbrarDepartment of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0004-3633-5563
Harleen Kaur RaiDepartment of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8121-6094
Fiona MuirheadPhysical Activity for Health, School of Psychological Sciences and Health, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2683-0523
Alexandra MavroeidiDepartment of Occupational Therapy and Human Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health & Life Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, United Kingdom.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5213-1596
Roma MaguireDepartment of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7935-3447
University of Strathclyde · GBGlasgow Caledonian University · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundChronic pain is a highly prevalent condition that requires multidisciplinary treatment. However, in the United Kingdom, access to specialist pain clinics where patients can receive medical multidisciplinary treatment is limited, and provision varies between health boards. As such, self-management of chronic pain using digital tools has been gaining traction recently, but evidence of its effectiveness from clinical-based trials focuses mainly on quantitative outcomes.

objectiveThis systematic review aims to identify, appraise, and synthesize qualitative evidence on patients' experiences with digital health interventions (DHIs) for the management of chronic pain.

methodsThis systematic review will consider qualitative and mixed methods studies that explore the experience of patients (aged 18 years and older) with chronic pain engaging in DHIs to manage their pain. MEDLINE Ovid, PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Scopus databases will be searched for published studies. The systematic review will be conducted in accordance with the ENTREQ (Enhancing Transparency in Reporting the Synthesis of Qualitative Research) guidelines. Following the 3-step thematic synthesis methodology of Thomas and Harden, titles and abstracts will be screened by 2 independent reviewers (AM and HM), and a third reviewer (MI or FM) will resolve any conflict that arises before the full-text screening. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist tool will be used to critically appraise the included studies. The extracted data will be imported to NVivo (QSR International), where thematic synthesis will be used to derive analytical themes from the included studies.

resultsThemes that encapsulate the patient experience will be identified from qualitative evidence, and these themes will shed light on the perceived benefits and disadvantages, usability, acceptability, and the overall impact digital tools can have on the lives of those with chronic pain.

conclusionsThis systematic review will identify, appraise, and synthesize the overall experience of patients engaging in DHI to manage a diverse range of chronic pain conditions. By elaborating the patient experience through qualitative analysis, the findings from this review will enhance our current understanding of the experiences of patients with chronic pain using digital tools for the self-management of their pain and highlight what person-centered elements are essential for future DHI development.

trial registrationPROSPERO CRD42023445100; http://tinyurl.com/4z77khfs. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/52469.

Indexed as

chronic paindigital healthdigital health interventiondigital tooleHealthexperiencemHealthpain-managementpatient experiencespatients' experiencesperson-centeredprotocolprotocol.self-managementsystematic reviewthematic synthesis

Identifiers

PMID38451694
PMCPMC10958340
OpenAlexW4391818201

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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.