HELP Pain Training Program

April 8, 2026 updated by: Natoshia Cunningham, Michigan State University

Engaging School Providers to Manage Student Pain in Michigan Schools

The aim of this project is to develop and test the Helping Educators Learn Pediatric Pain Assessment & Intervention Needs (HELP Pain) program. HELP Pain provides training for school providers (e.g., school nurses, mental health professionals) on strategies to assess and manage pain-related concerns in school children. Participants will learn cognitive behavioral therapy techniques to help school children manage pain, and report on their use of strategies, and child's progress throughout the school year. Follow-up data will be collected in year 2.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not recruiting

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

Chronic pain is common among school children, and impacts social, emotional and academic functioning. School providers are often tasked with addressing student pain, but may have limited training in evidence-based pain management strategies. Thus, the PI developed a training program, HELP Pain, to train school providers, such as school nurses and mental health professionals, in cognitive behavioral therapy strategies for addressing student pain. In this study, the feasibility and acceptability of the training program will be evaluated. Provider knowledge will be evaluated before and after receiving the HELP Pain training. Further, the use of HELP Pain strategies with students and their associated disability and pain outcomes will be evaluated. Results will help to tailor the HELP Pain training program for future use.

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.
Observational

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.
68

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Michigan
      • Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States, 49503
        • Michigan State University

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

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Providers (nurses and mental health professionals) serving Michigan schools.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • engaged as a school provider in Michigan

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

  • Observational Models: Cohort
  • Time Perspectives: Prospective

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
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.
Health Department of Northwest Michigan
School providers (school nurses, mental health specialists) from the Health Department of Northwest Michigan.
Other: HELP Pain Training Program
A training program to teach school providers nonpharmacologic (e.g., cognitive behavioral and mindfulness meditation) strategies to use with students with pain symptoms.
Michigan Association of School Nurses
School providers (nurses) from the Michigan Association of School Nurses.
Other: HELP Pain Training Program
A training program to teach school providers nonpharmacologic (e.g., cognitive behavioral and mindfulness meditation) strategies to use with students with pain symptoms.

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
Feasibility - Qualitative report
Time Frame: 9 months
Implementation success of the program measured by a semi-structured qualitative interview method which addresses feasibility.
9 months
Acceptability - Qualitative report
Time Frame: 9 months
Implementation success of the program measured by a semi-structured qualitative interview method which addresses acceptability.
9 months
Appropriateness - Qualitative report
Time Frame: 9 months
Implementation success of the program measured by a semi-structured qualitative interview method which addresses appropriateness.
9 months
Implementation Success - Quantitative report
Time Frame: 9 months
Twelve psychometrically validated items to assess program implementation success, will be administered after training. Providers will rate items with responses using a 5-point Likert scale ranging from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5).
9 months

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
Knowledge
Time Frame: 9 months
Knowledge quiz scores before and after training, 0-20, where 20 indicates higher knowledge.
9 months
Fidelity
Time Frame: 9 months, 2 years
Self-reported use of HELP Pain strategies with students via online survey.
9 months, 2 years
Self-report Knowledge
Time Frame: 9 months
Self-reported agreeableness using a 5-point Likert scale from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5) to 3 statements indicating knowledge from the program.
9 months

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
Child Functional Disability Inventory (FDI)
Time Frame: 9 months, 2 years
Administration of the FDI to students is optional. The FDI is used to assess impairment due to pain over the past several days, and uses a Likert scale (0-4) to result in a score 0-60, where 60 implies decreased functioning.
9 months, 2 years
Child Pain Ratings - Numerical Scale
Time Frame: 9 months, 2 years
Administration of the child pain ratings to students is optional. Highest, lowest, average and current pain over the past week are reported by a child to the provider using a numerical scale. The numerical scale is 0-10, with 10 indicating worse pain.
9 months, 2 years
Child Pain Ratings - Faces Scale
Time Frame: 9 months, 2 years
Administration of the child pain ratings to students is optional. Highest, lowest, average and current pain over the past week are reported by a child to the provider using a faces scale. The faces scale contains 6 faces with scores of 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10 respectively from left to right, where the rightmost face or score of 10 indicates worse pain.
9 months, 2 years
Child School Attendance
Time Frame: 9 months, 2 years
Reporting of a child's school attendance is optional. School attendance, late arrivals, and early dismissal in one month (due to pain or other reasons), and school nurse visits for pain or other reasons (scheduled and unscheduled) as reported by the school provider specific to a child.
9 months, 2 years

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.
Michigan State University

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: Natoshia R Cunningham, Ph.D., Michigan State University

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.
August 25, 2022

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 1, 2024

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
November 1, 2026

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).
November 29, 2022

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.
January 13, 2023

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.
January 26, 2023

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.
April 13, 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.
April 8, 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.
April 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.
  • STUDY00007400

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.

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings