Communication and activation in pain to enhance relationships and treat pain with equity (COOPERATE): a randomized clinical trial.

Racialized disparities in chronic pain care are well-documented and persist despite national priorities focused on health equity. Similar disparities have been observed in patient activation (ie, having the knowledge, confidence, and skills to manage one's health). As such, interventions targeting patient activation represent a novel approach to addressing and reducing disparities in pain care.

Texting is caring: a content analysis of clinical text messages by hospitalists.

Background: Clinical texting systems (CTS) are widely used in hospitals for team communication about patients. With more institutions adopting such systems, there is a need to understand how texting is being used in clinical practice.

Methods: We conducted content analysis of 809 randomly selected message threads sent to and from hospitalists in a 9-month window.

Communication and Activation in Pain to Enhance Relationships and Treat Pain with Equity (COOPERATE): Rationale, study design, methods, and sample characteristics.

Background: Chronic pain is associated with profound negative effects, and racial disparities are well-documented in chronic pain treatment. In addition, Black patients report poorer communication with providers and exhibit lower levels of patient activation (self-management self-efficacy) than White patients. Although the causes of healthcare disparities are complex and require intervention at multiple levels, empowering patients is one critical path to achieving health equity.