Effects of integrating therapeutic touch into a cognitive behavioral pain treatment program. Report of a pilot clinical trial.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of offering Therapeutic Touch (TT) as an adjunct to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for people with chronic pain. Patients were randomized to relaxation training (control group) or TT plus relaxation (experimental). Subsequently, all participants attended a CBT program.

Nurse-led pain management program: effect on self-efficacy, pain intensity, pain-related disability, and depressive symptoms in chronic pain patients.

Nurses routinely use a variety of nonpharmacologic and patient education interventions designed to reduce pain and promote independence. Research on group programs that combine these nursing strategies in a systematic approach provides evidence that chronic pain patients can realize an enhanced confidence in their ability to manage pain (improved self-efficacy) in addition to reductions in pain, emotional distress, and disability. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of participating in a nurse-led cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT) pain management program on self-efficacy, pain intensity, pain-related disability, and depressive symptoms among patients with chronic pain.

From chronic pain patient to peer: benefits and risks of volunteering.

Peer volunteers have been used as cost-effective adjuncts to professional services in other settings and populations, but not a heterogeneous sample of patients with chronic pain. This study evaluated the transition from "patient" to "peer," identifying possible benefits or harm associated with volunteering. Peers provided descriptive data and questionnaires, including measures of pain, disability, self-efficacy, and depression before and after three periods: as a patient, during training, and while volunteering.

Care of the patient with chronic pain: part II.

Chronic nonmalignant pain frequently results in significant physical, behavioral, psychological, social, and spiritual issues for patients and their families. It is often misunderstood and unsuccessfully managed. Advanced practice nurses who are knowledgeable about chronic pain and the complex biopsychosocial-spiritual needs of this patient population serve an important role in recognizing these patients and intervening appropriately in their care.

Cognitive therapy: applications for health promotion, disease prevention, and disease management.

Cognitive therapy is a short-term therapeutic intervention that can be helpful for patients with or at risk for health problems that may be caused or exacerbated by stress and has implications for nursing practice across the biologic, psychosocial and spiritual domains. This article outlines the psychophysiology of stress, examines cognitive therapy as an intervention to mediate its harmful effects, reviews clinical situations in which it has been shown to be effective, details the steps of the process, and explores the unique perspective that nurses bring to its application.