The Use of a Digital Application for Reporting Pain and Pain Management in Home Hospice (ePainSupport)

March 10, 2026 updated by: Rush University Medical Center
Poor adherence to pain management and high pain intensity associated with serious, advanced illness is a major public health concern. This randomized clinical trial will test the efficacy of a newly enhanced digital pain and pain management application (e-PainSupport) for use in a home hospice setting. The e-PainSupport application delivers an education module about pain management to patients and caregivers, expedites pain reporting to nurses, and facilitates adherence to pain management. The overall goal of the e-PainSupport application is to improve pain management and reduce patient pain intensity in the home hospice setting.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

High pain intensity is a common symptom experienced by patients with serious advanced illness. However, pain management for patients in home hospice is less than optimal. Impediments to improving pain intensity are poor adherence to pain management regimen due in part to caregiver lack of knowledge (a barrier to reporting pain and using analgesics) and lack of self-efficacy (confidence) in administering analgesics. Digital applications may facilitate pain management by: (1) delivering education to increase knowledge and self-efficacy, (2) expediting pain reporting to nurses, and (3) improving adherence to pain management. e-PainSupport is a self-administered, digital pain management application developed in collaboration with hospice nurses and caregivers. It is directly linked to a patient's medical record and enhanced by an evidence-based educational module. It has three elements: (a) Educational Module, (b) Patient Pain Record, and (c) Pain Summary for Nurses. The purpose of this study is to test the effects of e-PainSupport on home hospice patient pain intensity when used by patients, caregivers and nurses. Participants (132 triads of patient, caregiver, and the hospice nurse assigned to the patient will be recruited from one large Midwest hospice agency. Patient and caregiver outcomes will be assessed at baseline and 2 weeks post baseline. Data will be analyzed with multi-level modeling. Post-intervention semi-structured interviews will be conducted with nurses who provided care to patients in the e-PainSupport condition. Qualitative content analysis will be used to identify themes related to perceived practice changes after using e-PainSupport. e-PainSupport has potential as a useful tool to advance home hospice care by enhancing the quality of caregiver pain management, facilitating nurse-patient communication, and improving management of patient pain intensity.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
88

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Illinois
      • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60612
        • Rush University Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion criteria (patient)

  • prior enrollment of their hospice nurse
  • receives analgesics for pain
  • speaks and reads English
  • age 18 or older
  • has a primary informal caregiver who is available for the 2 weeks of the study
  • expected survival of at least 2 weeks
  • can verbalize pain.

Inclusion criteria (caregiver)

  • speaks and reads English
  • age 18 or older
  • cares for an enrolled patient
  • available for the 2 weeks of the study.

Inclusion criteria (nurses participating in the RTC)

  • registered nurse (RN)
  • provides direct care to patients
  • has not had a prior patient enrolled in the study

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: e-PainSupport Condition
e-PainSupport is a self-administered, digital pain application. Over the course of the two weeks, caregivers and patients will record the severity of patient's pain and how much pain medicine they use to control patient's pain in the e-PainSupport application.
Behavioral: e-PainSupport
Patients and caregivers assigned to the e-PainSupport condition will download the app on their own device, or they will be given a project tablet with wireless capability if they do not have their own device. All receive specific training for the intervention. They will also receive a hardcopy of the e-PainSupport manual and a trouble-shooting guide. Contact information will be provided in the app and on paper for technical problems. Caregivers complete Education Module, and patients may complete it. Caregiver or patient will fill out Pain Report daily. Pain Summary for Nurses is an automatically generated graphic summary of patients' Pain Reports over time. Nurses have access to this information during the time the patients and caregivers use e-PainSupport.
No Intervention: Standard Care Condition
Patients and caregivers will be given a paper copy of the same list of resources for pain management included in the Education Module of the e-PainSupport condition at baseline.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Minimally Important Clinical Change in Worst Pain Intensity
Time Frame: Baseline to 2-weeks post baseline
At least 20 percent change on the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Pain Intensity-Short Form 3a v1.0: 3 items: Worst pain and average pain in past 7 days scored from 1 = no pain, 2= mild, 3 = moderate, 4= severe, 5 = very severe pain. Higher scores indicates higher pain intensity.
Baseline to 2-weeks post baseline
Minimally Important Clinical Change in Average Pain Intensity
Time Frame: Baseline to 2-weeks post baseline
At Least 20 Percent Change on the PROMIS Average Pain Scale. Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Pain Intensity-Short Form 3a v1.0: Average pain in past 7 days, and current pain, scored from 1 = no pain, 2= mild, 3 = moderate, 4= severe, 5 = very severe pain, summed for a range of 3 to 15. Higher scores indicates higher pain intensity.
Baseline to 2-weeks post baseline
Minimally Important Clinical Change in Current Pain Intensity
Time Frame: Baseline to 2-weeks post baseline
At least 20 percent change on the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Pain Intensity-Short Form 3a v1.0: 3 items: current pain, scored from 1 = no pain, 2= mild, 3 = moderate, 4= severe, 5 = very severe pain. Higher scores indicates higher pain intensity.
Baseline to 2-weeks post baseline

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in the Continuous Score of the Pain Intensity Scale
Time Frame: Baseline to 2-weeks post baseline
Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Pain Intensity-Short Form 3a v1.0. 3items: worst pain and average pain in past 7 days, and current pain, scored from 1 = no pain, 2= mild, 3 = moderate, 4= severe, 5 = very severe pain, summed for a range of 3 to 15. Higher scores indicates higher pain intensity.
Baseline to 2-weeks post baseline

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Caregiver Self-efficacy: Difference in Self-efficacy Scores From Baseline to 14 Days
Time Frame: Baseline to 2-weeks post baseline
Chronic Pain Self-Efficacy Scale and the two weeks post baseline: Self-efficacy for pain management subscale measures confidence in managing pain, 5 items on 10-point Likert scale anchored on the ends by 10=very uncertain and 100=very certain. The score ranges from 50 to 500. Higher scores indicate higher perceived self efficacy.
Baseline to 2-weeks post baseline
Adherence to Pain Management: Difference in Change Scores From Baseline to 14 Days
Time Frame: Baseline to 2-weeks post baseline
Morisky Medication Adherence Scale-4 item version: Measures medication adherence, 4 items on a five-point Likert scale. Patients answer yes or no to questions (e.g., Do you sometimes forget to take your pain medication?).Each "yes" answer is scored as 1.The score ranges from 0 to 4. Lower score indicates better adherence.
Baseline to 2-weeks post baseline
Family Caregiver Knowledge: Difference in Change Scores From Baseline to 14 Days
Time Frame: Baseline to 2-weeks post baseline
Barriers Questionnaire II measures 8 knowledge barriers about reporting pain and using analgesics, with four subscales (physiological effects, 12 items; fatalism, 3 items; communication, 6 items; and harmful effects, 6 items (total 27 items) on a 6-point scale (0 = don't agree, 5 = agree very much), items averaged (range 0 to 5). The score ranges from 0-135. Higher scores indicate stronger barriers.
Baseline to 2-weeks post baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Rush University Medical Center

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Masako Mayahara, PhD, Rush University Medical Center

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
April 21, 2021

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
July 31, 2023

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
January 31, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
March 19, 2021

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 28, 2021

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
May 3, 2021

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 11, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 10, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • NCT04869085
  • 5R21NR018952 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • 310245 (Other Identifier: Rush University)
  • 310244 (Other Identifier: Rush University)
  • 310243 (Other Identifier: Rush Univesrity)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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