title: Piloting a Text Message-based Social Support Intervention for Patients With Chronic Pain: Establishing Feasibility and Preliminary Efficacy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine preliminarily the effectiveness of a short message service (SMS) text message-based social support intervention for reducing daily pain and pain interference levels, improving affect and perceptions of social support in patients with chronic noncancer pain, and exploring the feasibility of a novel mobile application to track perceptions of pain and pain interference.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants (17 men, 51 women) from 2 pain clinics in New York City downloaded a pain tracking application (App) on their Smartphone and used it to record twice-daily pain, pain interference, and affect scores over the 4-week study period. Participants were randomly assigned to receive standard care (control) or standard care along with receipt of twice-daily supportive SMS text messages delivered during the second and third week of the study (intervention). Demographic and clinical data were obtained at baseline, and social support measures were administered at baseline and at 4 weeks. Statistical analysis was carried out using general linear mixed models, taking into account variances associated with time of assessments and with patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The social support intervention reduced perceptions of pain and pain interference and improved positive affect for chronic noncancer pain patients assigned to the intervention condition in comparison with controls. Participants completed approximately 80% of the daily measurements requested.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings establish the feasibility of collecting daily pain data using a mobile tracking App and provide significant implications and insight into a nuanced approach to reducing the daily experience of pain through mobile technology, especially because of its accessibility.
authors.affiliation: *Center for Tobacco Control Research & Education, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA Departments of †Communication ‡Human Development #Communication & Information Science, Cornell University, Ithaca §Department of Medicine ∥Pain Medicine Center & Weill Cornell Anesthesiology Associates, Weill Cornell Medical College **Geriatrics, Weill Cornell Medical College, Irving Sherwood Wright Center on Aging ¶Department of Anesthesia, Hospital for Special Surgery & Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY.
authors.forename: Jamie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guillory
authors.forename: Pamara
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Charles R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Henderson
authors.forename: Rouzi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shengelia
authors.forename: Sonam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lama
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Warmington
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jowza
authors.forename: Seth
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Waldman
authors.forename: Geri
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gay
authors.forename: M Carrington
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Reid
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D063731:Mobile Applications; D059408:Pain Management / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010865:Pilot Projects; D000068997:Smartphone; D012944:Social Support; D060145:Text Messaging