SOUTH KINGSTOWN – Pro-Change Behavior Systems Inc. has been awarded a $231,000 grant to develop an online pain-intervention program for veterans who have chronic musculoskeletal pain.
The grant, from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, will help Pro-Change develop the interactive pain self-management program.
The program will provide feedback matched to an individual’s readiness to use pain-coping skills, improve sleep habits and manage stress. It will include personalized text messages and feature social networking.
Focus groups and tests will be conducted to assess the usability and acceptability of the program before the launch of a 30-day pilot study, a news release from Pro-Change said.
According to Pro-Change, which is a research and development company that provides its wellness partners with computer and coaching-based programs for changing health-risk behaviors, this research is significant “given the enormous public-health burden of pain and the fact that veterans are disproportionately affected by chronic pain.”
Sara Johnson, senior vice president at Pro-Change, said that “unlike any existing pain interventions, the program Pro-Change is developing will be tailored specifically to veterans’ readiness to adopt self-management and preference for pain-management strategies.”
