Behavioral Pain Self-Management Intervention Shows Promise for Chronic Pain in People with HIV

In a randomized clinical trial, researchers found that a behavioral pain self-management intervention called Skills to Manage Pain (STOMP) can be an effective intervention for chronic pain in people with HIV.

The trial included participants who experienced at least moderate chronic pain for 3 months or more (n = 278). The primary outcome was pain severity and the impact of pain on function.

The study, set at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill large medical centers, took place from August 2019 to September 2022. The researchers measured patients’ pain and the impact of that pain with the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) summary score. The primary a priori hypothesis was that STOMP would be associated with a decreased BPI in people with HIV compared to enhanced usual care (EUC).

The researchers observed that STOMP was associated with a statistically significant reduction in pain severity and pain impact on function compared to EUC. Participants in the STOMP group showed a mean decrease in their BPI total score of 1.25 points immediately after the intervention, indicating notable improvement in managing chronic pain (95% CI, −1.71 to −0.78; P < .001). This positive effect persisted 3 months after the intervention, with a continued mean reduction of 0.62 points in BPI total score compared to the EUC group (95% CI, −1.09 to −0.14; P = .01). Despite moderate attendance at the 1-on-1 and group sessions, these results suggest that the STOMP intervention led to meaningful pain relief and functional improvement in people with HIV.

This study had limitations, most notably that the trial’s patient population was specific to those with HIV and chronic pain, which could potentially reduce the generalizability of the findings for patients with other conditions.

“The findings of this randomized clinical trial support the efficaciousness of STOMP as an intervention for chronic pain in people with HIV. Future research will include implementation studies and work to understand the optimal delivery of the intervention,” the authors concluded.

Reference

Jones KF, Long DM, Bair MJ, et al. Efficacy of a pain self-management intervention tailored to people with HIV. JAMA Intern Med. 2024;184(9);1074-1082. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2024.3071.