Skip to main content

Pain Coping Skills Training Beneficial During Maintenance Hemodialysis

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Dec 31, 2024.

via HealthDay

MONDAY, Dec. 30, 2024 -- Pain coping skills training (PSCT) is beneficial for patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis and experiencing chronic pain, according to a study published online Dec. 30 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Laura M. Dember, M.D., from the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia, and colleagues examined the effectiveness of a cognitive behavioral intervention, PSCT, on pain interference in a multicenter randomized clinical trial. Adults undergoing maintenance hemodialysis and experiencing chronic pain were randomly assigned to PSCT or usual care (319 and 324 participants, respectively).

The researchers found that the PSCT group had a larger reduction in the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) Interference score than the usual care group at week 12 (between-group difference, −0.49). At 24 weeks, the effect persisted (between-group difference in BPI Interference score, −0.48), but the effect was attenuated at week 36 (between-group difference, −0.34). A decrease in BPI Interference score of more than 1 point (minimal clinically important difference) occurred in 50.9 and 36.6 percent of patients in the PSCT and usual care groups, respectively, at 12 weeks and in 55.0 versus 42.8 percent, respectively, at 24 weeks (odds ratios, 1.79 and 1.59, respectively). For secondary outcomes, favorable changes were also seen for PSCT.

"While the effect on the overall cohort was of modest magnitude, the intervention resulted in a clinically meaningful improvement in pain interference for a substantial proportion of participants," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

Adults With Hearing Loss Using Hearing Aids Have Reduced Dementia Risk

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 20, 2025 -- Adults with hearing loss (HL) with hearing aids have a reduced risk for dementia, according to a research letter published online Aug. 18 in JAMA...

Cognitive Impairment, Work Productivity Loss Linked in Bipolar Disorder

MONDAY, Aug. 18, 2025 -- There is a weak correlation between change in cognitive impairment and change in work productivity loss in adults with bipolar disorder, according to a...

High Metabolic Syndrome Severity Linked to Development of CKD

FRIDAY, Aug. 15, 2025 -- High metabolic syndrome (MetS) severity, expressed by the continuous metabolic syndrome severity score (cMetS-S), is associated with development of...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.