Boehnke Kevin F, Bowyer Gabrielle, McAfee Jenna, Smith Tristin, Klida Catherine, Kurtz Vivian, Litinas Evangelos, Purohit Poonam, Arewasikporn Anne, Horowitz Dana, Thomas Laura, Eckersley Jennifer, Railing Mia, Williams David A, Clauw Daniel J, Kidwell Kelley M, Bohnert Amy S B, Bergmans Rachel S
Anesthesiology Department, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48105, USA.
Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
J Cannabis Res. 2025 Jan 25;7(1):7. doi: 10.1186/s42238-025-00265-z.
Chronic pain is common among Veterans, some of whom use cannabis for pain. We conducted a feasibility pilot study of a novel coaching intervention to help Veterans optimize use of medical cannabis products for pain management (NCT06320470).
The intervention drew from scientific literature, consultation with cannabis experts, Veteran input via a Community Advisory Board, and tenets of motivational interviewing. Participants were Veterans with chronic pain who endorsed current use or interest in using cannabis for pain management. Participants received up to 4 individual coaching sessions via videoconference, spaced approximately 2 weeks apart. We assessed feasibility (adherence, satisfaction, acceptability) and preliminary effects on pain symptoms 14 weeks after baseline. The primary outcome was the Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC), and exploratory outcomes included domains from the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS)-29.
Of 22 enrolled participants, 17 attended 4 coaching sessions, 2 attended 3 sessions, and 2 attended 2 sessions. Among those who completed end of intervention surveys (16/21), 87.5% were very or completely satisfied with the intervention and 81.3% rated coaching as very or extremely helpful. All participants reported improvement on the PGIC, with 63% reporting much or very much improvement. Participants reported statistically significant decreased pain intensity (7.1/10 vs. 5.7/10) and pain interference (T-score 66.3 vs. 61.8), and increased social satisfaction (T-score 41.4 vs. 44.3). Participants noted helpful intervention factors, including co-developing a personalized plan, discussing questions/concerns, and trying different approaches to cannabis-based treatment.
In this feasibility pilot study of coaching on cannabis use for chronic pain among Veterans, participants were satisfied with the intervention and reported clinically significant improvements in pain symptoms. Our results support evaluating this intervention in a larger, efficacy trial.
慢性疼痛在退伍军人中很常见，其中一些人使用大麻来缓解疼痛。我们进行了一项可行性试点研究，采用一种新型的指导干预措施，以帮助退伍军人优化医用大麻产品在疼痛管理中的使用（NCT06320470）。
该干预措施借鉴了科学文献、与大麻专家的咨询、通过社区咨询委员会获得的退伍军人意见以及动机性访谈的原则。参与者为患有慢性疼痛且认可当前使用大麻或有兴趣使用大麻进行疼痛管理的退伍军人。参与者通过视频会议接受了最多4次个人指导课程，课程间隔约为2周。我们评估了可行性（依从性、满意度、可接受性）以及基线后14周对疼痛症状的初步影响。主要结局是患者总体变化印象（PGIC），探索性结局包括患者报告结局测量信息系统（PROMIS）-29中的各个领域。
在22名登记参与者中，17人参加了4次指导课程，2人参加了3次课程，2人参加了2次课程。在完成干预后调查的参与者中（16/21），87.5%的人对干预措施非常或完全满意，81.3%的人认为指导非常或极其有帮助。所有参与者在PGIC上均报告有改善，其中63%的人报告有很大或非常大的改善。参与者报告疼痛强度在统计学上显著降低（7.1/10 vs. 5.7/10），疼痛干扰减少（T评分66.3 vs. 61.8），社会满意度提高（T评分41.4 vs. 44.3）。参与者指出了有益的干预因素,包括共同制定个性化计划、讨论问题/担忧以及尝试不同的基于大麻的治疗方法。
在这项针对退伍军人慢性疼痛大麻使用指导的可行性试点研究中，参与者对干预措施感到满意，并报告疼痛症状有临床显著改善。我们的结果支持在更大规模的疗效试验中评估该干预措施。
