Information without Implementation: A Practical Example for Developing a Best Practice Education Control Group

Integration of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia in Best-Practice Care for Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis and Insomnia: A Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol

OBJECTIVE

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a common musculoskeletal problem worldwide and its key symptom is pain. Guidelines recommend incorporating comorbidity-specific therapies into patient-centered care. Patients diagnosed with KOA frequently have insomnia, which is associated with higher-pain severity. For this reason, this study protocol outlines the methodology of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) investigating the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTi) combined with best-practice KOA care (BPC) compared to best-practice KOA care and lifestyle education.

METHODS

A 2-arm RCT in patients with KOA and insomnia is conducted, in which a total of 128 patients are randomly allocated to an intervention or control group. The experimental intervention consists of 12 sessions of physical therapist-led BPC with an additional 6 sessions of CBTi. The control intervention also receives BPC, which is supplemented with 6 general lifestyle information sessions. The primary outcome is the between-group difference in change in pain severity at 6 months after intervention. Secondary outcomes are pain-related outcomes, sleep-related outcomes, symptoms of anxiety and depression, level of physical activity and function, perceived global improvement, biomarkers of inflammation, and health-related quality of life. Assessments are conducted at baseline, immediately after intervention, and 3, 6, and 12 months after intervention. Furthermore, a cost-utility analysis for the proposed intervention will be performed alongside the RCT.

IMPACT

This is the first RCT investigating the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a physical therapist-led intervention integrating CBTi into BPC in patients with KOA and insomnia. The results of this trial will add to the growing body of evidence on the effectiveness of individualized and comorbidity-specific KOA care, which can inform clinical decision-making and assist policymakers and other relevant stakeholders in optimizing the care pathway for patients with KOA.

Pain Catastrophizing and Clinical Outcomes Among Patients Receiving a Novel Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Irritable Bowel Syndrome: An Experimental Therapeutics Approach

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most common gastrointestinal (GI) condition treated by GI and primary care physicians. Although IBS symptoms (abdominal pain, bowel problems) are generally refractory to medical therapies, consistent research has shown that they improve following cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Notwithstanding empirical support for CBT, there is less research explicating the reasons for why or how it works. Like other pain disorders, the focus on change mechanisms for behavioral pain treatments has focused on pain-specific cognitive-affective processes that modulate pain experience, few of which are more important than pain catastrophizing (PC). The fact that PC changes are seen across treatments of differing theoretical and technical orientation, including CBT, yoga, and physical therapy, suggests that it may be a nonspecific (vs. theory-based) change mechanism akin to therapeutic alliance and treatment expectancy. Therefore, the current study examined change in PC as a concurrent mediator of IBS symptoms severity, global GI symptom improvement, and quality of life among 436 Rome III-diagnosed IBS patients enrolled in a clinical trial undergoing two dosages of CBT versus a nonspecific comparator emphasizing education and support. Results from structural equation modeling parallel process mediation analyses suggest that reduction in PC during treatment are significantly associated with improvement in IBS clinical outcomes through 3-month follow-up. Results from the current study provide evidence that PC may be an important, albeit nonspecific change mechanism, during CBT for IBS. Overall, reducing the emotional unpleasantness of pain through cognitive processes is associated with improved outcomes for IBS.

A randomized controlled trial to test a behavioral sleep intervention to improve insomnia symptoms in older adults with mild cognitive impairment: Multicomponent Behavioral Sleep Intervention (MBSI) protocol

BACKGROUND

Insomnia symptoms in older adults with mild cognitive impairment represent a significant public health burden in terms of impaired quality of life, risks from untreated insomnia, and adverse effects from pharmaceutical insomnia treatment. To address current limitations in the most effective non-pharmacological treatments for insomnia in older adults with mild cognitive impairment, we are conducting a randomized pilot study to test a brief (4- week), tablet-based, personalized, multicomponent behavioral sleep intervention (MBSI) for insomnia, compared to a sleep education control, in a sample of older adults with mild cognitive impairment.

METHODS

Participants will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to intervention or control group. Both groups will complete three virtual study data collection visits: baseline, 4-week post-intervention, and 12-week post-intervention follow-up. Key components of the 4-week intervention include sleep hygiene education, stimulating meaningful activity during the day and promoting relaxation therapy at night. We will determine preliminary immediate (4-week) and sustained efficacy (12-week) of MBSI compared to sleep education on sleep related outcomes and health related quality of life. Additionally, we will explore mechanisms by which the intervention affects sleep and health related quality of life using standardized questionnaires and inflammatory biomarkers.

RESULTS

(N/A).

DISCUSSION

The findings of the proposed project will inform future, larger scale clinical trials and may provide a novel and innovative way for older adults with mild cognitive impairment to achieve better sleep and health-related quality of life outcomes.

Study protocol and methods for Easing Pelvic Pain Interventions Clinical Research Program (EPPIC): a randomized clinical trial of brief, low-intensity, transdiagnostic cognitive behavioral therapy vs education/support for urologic chronic pelvic pain syndrome (UCPPS)

Background

Urologic chronic pelvic pain syndrome (UCPPS) encompasses several common, costly, diagnoses including interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome and chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome that are poorly understood and inadequately treated with conventional medical therapies. Behavioral strategies, recommended as a first-line treatment for managing symptoms, are largely inaccessible, time and labor intensive, and technically complex. The Easing Pelvic Pain Interventions Clinical Research Program (EPPIC) is a clinical trial examining the efficacy of low-intensity cognitive behavioral therapy (Minimal Contact CBT or MC-CBT) for UCPPS and its durability 3 and 6 months post treatment. Additional aims include characterizing the operative processes (e.g., cognitive distancing, context sensitivity, coping flexibility, repetitive negative thought) that drive MC-CBT-induced symptom relief and pre-treatment patient variables that moderate differential response.

Methods

UCPPS patients (240) ages 18–70 years, any gender, ethnicity, and race, will be randomized to 4-session MC-CBT or a credible, non-specific education comparator (EDU) that controls for the generic effects from simply going to treatment. Efficacy assessments will be administered at pre-treatment, 2 weeks, and 3 and 6 months post treatment-week acute phase. A novel statistical approach applied to micro-analytic mediator assessment schedule will permit the specification of the most effective CBT component(s) that drive symptom relief.

Discussion

Empirical validation of a low-intensity self-management therapy transdiagnostic in scope has the potential to improve the health of chronic pelvic pain patients refractory to medical therapies, reduce social and economic costs, conserve health care resources, as well as inform evidence-based practice guidelines. Identification of change mechanisms and moderators of treatment effects can provide proactive patient-treatment matching fundamental to goals of personalized medicine.

Trial Registration

Clinicaltrials.gov NCT05127616. Registered on 9/19/21.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13063-022-06554-9.

Cost-effectiveness of telephone cognitive behavioral therapy for osteoarthritis-related insomnia

BACKGROUND

Osteoarthritis-related insomnia is the most common form of comorbid insomnia among older Americans. A randomized clinical trial found that six sessions of telephone-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) improved sleep outcomes in this population. Using these data, we evaluated the incremental cost-effectiveness of CBT-I from a healthcare sector perspective.

METHODS

The study was based on 325 community-dwelling older adults with insomnia and osteoarthritis pain enrolled with Kaiser Permanente of Washington State. We measured quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) using the EuroQol 5-dimension scale. Arthritis-specific quality of life was measured using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC). Insomnia-specific quality of life was measured using the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and nights without clinical insomnia (i.e., "insomnia-free nights"). Total healthcare costs included intervention and healthcare utilization costs.

RESULTS

Over the 12 months after randomization, CBT-I improved ISI and WOMAC by -2.6 points (95% CI: -2.9 to -2.4) and -2.6 points (95% CI: -3.4 to -1.8), respectively. The ISI improvement translated into 89 additional insomnia-free nights (95% CI: 79 to 98) over the 12 months. CBT-I did not significantly reduce total healthcare costs (-$1072 [95% CI: -$1968 to $92]). Improvements in condition-specific measures were not reflected in QALYs gained (-0.01 [95% CI: -0.01 to 0.01]); at a willingness-to-pay of $150,000 per QALY, CBT-I resulted in a positive net monetary benefit of $369 with substantial uncertainty (95% CI: -$1737 to $2270).

CONCLUSION

CBT-I improved sleep and arthritis function without increasing costs. These findings support the consideration of telephone CBT-I for treating insomnia among older adults with comorbid OA. Our findings also suggest potential limitations of the general quality of life measures in assessing interventions designed to improve sleep and arthritis outcomes.

Specific and common mediators of gastrointestinal symptom improvement in patients undergoing education/support vs. cognitive behavioral therapy for irritable bowel syndrome

Objective: This study sought to characterize change mechanisms that underlie gastrointestinal (GI) symptom improvement in IBS patients undergoing two dosages of CBT for IBS as compared to a nondirective education/support (EDU) condition. Method: Data were collected in the context of a large clinical trial that randomized 436 Rome III-diagnosed IBS patients (Mage = 41, 80 % female) to standard, clinic-based CBT (S-CBT), a largely home-based version with minimal therapist contact (MC-CBT) or Education/Support that controlled for nonspecific effects. Outcome was measured with the IBS-version of the Clinical Global Improvement scale that was administered at Week 5 and 2-week posttreatment (Week 12). Potential mediators (IBS Self-efficacy (IBS-SE), pain catastrophizing, fear of GI symptoms, and treatment alliance were assessed at Weeks 3, 5, and 8 during treatment with the exception of treatment expectancy that was measured at the end of Session 1. Results: IBS-SE, a positive treatment expectancy for symptom improvement, and patient-therapist agreement on tasks for achieving goals mediated effects of CBT early in treatment (rapid response, RR) and at posttreatment. Notwithstanding their different intensities, both CBT conditions had comparable RR rates (43%-45%) and significantly greater than the EDU RR rate of 22%. While pain catastrophizing, fear of GI symptoms, and patient-therapist emotional bonding related to posttreatment symptom improvement, none of these hypothesized mediators explained differences between CBT and EDU, thereby lacking the mechanistic specificity of IBS-SE, task agreement, and treatment expectancy. Conclusion: Findings suggest that CBT-induced GI symptom improvement may be mediated by a constellation of CBT-specific (IBS-SE) and nonspecific (task agreement, treatment expectancy) processes that reciprocally influence each other in complex ways to catalyze, improve, and sustain IBS symptom relief. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Effect of Telephone Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia in Older Adults With Osteoarthritis Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial

IMPORTANCE

Scalable delivery models of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), an effective treatment, are needed for widespread implementation, particularly in rural and underserved populations lacking ready access to insomnia treatment.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effectiveness of telephone CBT-I vs education-only control (EOC) in older adults with moderate to severe osteoarthritis pain.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This is a randomized clinical trial of 327 participants 60 years and older who were recruited statewide through Kaiser Permanente Washington from September 2016 to December 2018. Participants were double screened 3 weeks apart for moderate to severe insomnia and osteoarthritis (OA) pain symptoms. Blinded assessments were conducted at baseline, after 2 months posttreatment, and at 12-month follow-up.

INTERVENTIONS

Six 20- to 30-minute telephone sessions provided over 8 weeks. Participants submitted daily diaries and received group-specific educational materials. The CBT-I instruction included sleep restriction, stimulus control, sleep hygiene, cognitive restructuring, and homework. The EOC group received information about sleep and OA.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

The primary outcome was score on the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) at 2 months posttreatment and 12-month follow-up. Secondary outcomes included pain (score on the Brief Pain Inventory-short form), depression (score on the 8-item Patient Health Questionnaire), and fatigue (score on the Flinders Fatigue Scale).

RESULTS

Of the 327 participants, the mean (SD) age was 70.2 (6.8) years, and 244 (74.6%) were women. In the 282 participants with follow-up ISI data, the total 2-month posttreatment ISI scores decreased 8.1 points in the CBT-I group and 4.8 points in the EOC group, an adjusted mean between-group difference of -3.5 points (95% CI, -4.4 to -2.6 points; P < .001). Results were sustained at 12-month follow-up (adjusted mean difference, -3.0 points; 95% CI, -4.1 to -2.0 points; P < .001). At 12-month follow-up, 67 of 119 (56.3%) participants receiving CBT-I remained in remission (ISI score, ≤7) compared with 33 of 128 (25.8%) participants receiving EOC. Fatigue was also significantly reduced in the CBT-I group compared with the EOC group at 2 months posttreatment (mean between-group difference, -2.0 points; 95% CI, -3.1 to -0.9 points; P = <.001) and 12-month follow-up (mean between-group difference, -1.8 points; 95% CI, -3.1 to -0.6 points; P = .003). Posttreatment significant differences were observed for pain, but these differences were not sustained at 12-month follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

In this randomized clinical trial, telephone CBT-I was effective in improving sleep, fatigue, and, to a lesser degree, pain among older adults with comorbid insomnia and OA pain in a large statewide health plan. Results support provision of telephone CBT-I as an accessible, individualized, effective, and scalable insomnia treatment.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Clinical Trials.gov Identifier: NCT02946957.

Online prenatal trial in mindfulness sleep management (OPTIMISM): protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial

Background

Sleep deficiency affects a majority of pregnant women with significant impact on daily function, mood, and pregnancy and birth outcomes. This ongoing study combines two evidence-based strategies for improving sleep and mood, mindfulness meditation and cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), in a unique online format to address the particular needs of pregnant women. The purpose of this study is to test the feasibility and estimate the efficacy of this novel 6-week online mindfulness meditation intervention to help pregnant women in remission from depression self-manage insomnia.

Methods

This is a two-arm, parallel group randomized controlled trial. A total of 50 pregnant women between 12 and 28 weeks gestation will be recruited from the community and randomly assigned to a mindfulness or education-only control group in a 1:1 ratio. During the study, all participants will complete six weekly online modules, daily sleep diaries, and optional participation in a treatment-specific online discussion forum. Feasibility outcome measures will include study recruitment, retention, intervention adherence (number of online modules completed, number of meditation days per week), and intervention acceptability (8-item questionnaire). The primary clinical outcome measure will be sleep quality measured with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Secondary outcome measures will include sleep measured with actigraphy and diaries (sleep efficiency, total sleep time, total wake time), Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) measures (fatigue, sleep-related impairment, sleep disturbance); mood (depression, anxiety, positive affect, quality of life); and self-management and behavior change (potential self-efficacy, self-regulation, sleep problem acceptance, and trait mindfulness). Assessments will occur at baseline and post-intervention; an additional acceptability survey will be completed 4 weeks postpartum. Analyses will examine within-group differences in outcome change scores from baseline to post-intervention. Open-ended feedback will be analyzed using qualitative content analysis.

Discussion

This research is innovative in addressing sleep in pregnancy using a self-management research design and methods that can be accessible and cost-effective for large numbers of pregnant women. The results from this study will inform intervention refinement and efficacy testing of the intervention in a larger randomized controlled trial.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04016428. Registered on 11 July 2019. Updated version registered on 26 July 2019.

Telephone interventions for co-morbid insomnia and osteoarthritis pain: The OsteoArthritis and Therapy for Sleep (OATS) randomized trial design

The OsteoArthritis and Therapy for Sleep (OATS) study is a population-based randomized controlled trial of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTI) with four innovative methodological aims. These are to: (1) Enroll representative participants across Washington state, including those from medically underserved communities; (2) Enroll persons with persistent insomnia and chronic osteoarthritis (OA) pain; (3) Test a scalable CBT-I intervention; and (4) Evaluate patient-reported outcomes (insomnia, pain severity, fatigue, depression) and cost-effectiveness over one year. This paper describes progress towards achieving these aims. The target population was persons age 60+ who had received OA care within the Kaiser Permanente Washington (KPW) health care system. We employed a two-phase screening via mail survey and telephone follow-up, with a 3-week interval between screens to exclude persons with spontaneous improvement in sleep or pain symptoms. Participants were randomized to a 6-session telephone-delivered CBT-I intervention or a 6-session telephone education only control condition (EOC). Blinded outcome assessments (completed online or on mailed paper forms) included primary and secondary sleep and pain outcome measures and quality of life measures. We obtained healthcare utilization from administrative claims data. Intent to treat analyses, including all participants randomized when they scheduled the first telephone session, will be conducted to compare CBT-I and EOC outcomes. The trial will be the largest experimental evaluation of telephone CBT-I to date, and the first to evaluate its cost-effectiveness. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02946957.

Predictors of Adherence to Psychological Treatment for Insomnia and Pain: Analysis from a Randomized Trial

OBJECTIVES

Poor adherence to psychological treatment for insomnia is common and limits treatment gains. Very little is known about predictors of adherence among patients with chronic pain, although adherence is theorized to be more critical and more challenging for these patients. This secondary data analysis examines predictors of drop-out and therapy nonattendance in an osteoarthritis population receiving psychological treatment for insomnia and pain.

METHODS

Data were analyzed from the "Lifestyles" trial, a randomized controlled trial of a 6-week group cognitive behavioral pain coping skills intervention (CBT-P), group cognitive-behavioral therapy for pain and insomnia (CBT-PI), and an education only attention control group (EOC). The current analysis focuses on 122 participants randomized to CBT-PI from 6 primary care clinics. Measures of treatment acceptability, demographics, and symptoms were collected at baseline. Factor analysis was used to clarify the boundaries of these domains, and hierarchical regression was used to examine the incremental predictive power of these patient characteristics on therapy attendance.

RESULTS

Ratings of treatment acceptability were distinct from demographic and medical variables and baseline symptoms. Treatment acceptability was significantly related to session attendance and drop-out (rs ranging from 0.24 to 0.32) and was also one of the strongest predictors of session attendance (β=0.20; P<0.05).

DISCUSSION

Perceptions of treatment acceptability early in treatment represent a potentially modifiable target to enhance adherence to psychological treatment for insomnia and pain among patients with chronic pain. This work represents an important step towards understanding how to best maximize sleep treatments for this patient population.

Telephone-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia in Perimenopausal and Postmenopausal Women With Vasomotor Symptoms: A MsFLASH Randomized Clinical Trial

IMPORTANCE

Effective, practical, nonpharmacologic therapies are needed to treat menopause-related insomnia symptoms in primary and women's specialty care settings.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the efficacy of telephone-based cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) vs menopause education control (MEC).

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

A single-site, randomized clinical trial was conducted from September 1, 2013, to August 31, 2015, in western Washington State among 106 perimenopausal or postmenopausal women aged 40 to 65 years with moderate insomnia symptoms (Insomnia Severity Index [ISI] score, ≥12) and 2 or more daily hot flashes. Blinded assessments were conducted at baseline, 8, and 24 weeks postrandomization. An intent-to-treat analysis was conducted.

INTERVENTIONS

Six CBT-I or MEC telephone sessions in 8 weeks. Participants submitted weekly electronic sleep diaries and received group-specific written educational materials. The CBT-I sessions included sleep restriction, stimulus control, sleep hygiene education, cognitive restructuring, and behavioral homework; MEC sessions provided information about menopause and women's health.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Primary outcome was scores on the ISI (score range, 0-28; scores ≥15 indicate moderate to severe insomnia). Secondary outcome was scores on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (score range, 0-21; higher scores indicate worse sleep quality). Additional outcomes included sleep and hot flash diary variables and hot flash interference.

RESULTS

At 8 weeks, ISI scores had decreased 9.9 points among 53 women receiving CBT-I (mean [SD] age, 55.0 [3.5] years) and 4.7 points among 53 women receiving MEC (age, 54.7 [4.7] years), a mean between-group difference of 5.2 points (95% CI, -6.1 to -3.3; P < .001). Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores decreased 4.0 points in women receiving CBT-I and 1.4 points in women receiving MEC, a mean between-group difference of 2.7 points (95% CI, -3.9 to -1.5; P < .001). Significant group differences were sustained at 24 weeks. At 8 and 24 weeks, 33 of 47 women (70%) and 37 of 44 (84%) in the CBT-I group, respectively, had ISI scores in the no-insomnia range compared with 10 of 41 (24%) and 16 of 37 (43%) in the MEC group, respectively. The CBT-I group also had greater improvements in diary-reported sleep latency, wake time, and sleep efficiency. There were no between-group differences in frequency of daily hot flashes, but hot flash interference was significantly decreased at 8 weeks for the CBT-I group (-15.7; 95% CI, -20.4 to -11.0) compared with the MEC group (-7.1; 95% CI, -14.6 to 0.4) (P = .03), differences that were maintained at 24 weeks for the CBT-I group (-22.8; 95% CI, -28.6 to -16.9) and MEC group (-11.6; 95% CI, -19.4 to -3.8) (P = .003).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Telephone-based CBT-I improved sleep in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women with insomnia and hot flashes. Results support further development and testing of centralized CBT-I programs for treating menopausal insomnia.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01936441.