Feasibility and Acceptability of Empowered Relief for American Indians With Pain During and After Cancer Treatment (ejames3)

September 16, 2026 updated by: University of Oklahoma

This project will evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of Empowered Relief (ER) among American Indian adults who are currently receiving or have completed active cancer treatments at Stephenson Cancer Center (SCC). ER is a single-session, Zoom-based, 2-hour, skills-based pain management class delivered by certified instructors. Participants learn three core pain relief skills, develop a personalized plan, and receive access to a free binaural audio app for daily practice. ER has demonstrated moderate efficacy in individuals with chronic non-cancer pain, reducing pain intensity, pain interference, pain-related distress (pain catastrophizing), sleep disturbance, and anxiety at 3 and 6 months post-treatment. Because of its brief, didactic nature and Zoom delivery, ER can accommodate large class sizes and may address accessibility disparities among underserved cancer populations. While ER is being studied across various non-cancer populations and has been adopted as standard of care in leading healthcare institutions in the U.S. and abroad, it has not been tested in American Indians with cancer.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet 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.

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 (Estimated)

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.
70

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
    • Oklahoma
      • Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States, 74104
        • Stephenson Cancer Center - Tulsa Location
        • Contact:

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

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Identifies as American Indian
  • Has history of a cancer diagnosis
  • Is currently undergoing or has completed active cancer treatment
  • Experiences body pain most or every day
  • Pain duration at least 3 months
  • English fluency

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Significant psychological and cognitive impairment that limits one's ability to complete study tasks (completion of online survey, attending the Zoom-based ER class)
  • Life-threatening acute illness (e.g., infection, heart attack, injury)
  • No access to a computer, a smartphone, or a tablet

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: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

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: Empowered Relief

Participants in this arm will complete a 2-hour Empowered Relief pain management course and get access to all the course materials. Participants will complete a series of follow-up surveys assessing the feasibility of the class for their pain intervention.
Behavioral: Empowered Relief

ER is a single-session, Zoom-based, 2-hour, skills-based pain management class delivered by certified instructors. Participants learn three core pain relief skills, develop a personalized plan, and receive access to a free binaural audio app for daily practice. ER has demonstrated moderate efficacy in individuals with chronic non-cancer pain, reducing pain intensity, pain interference, pain-related distress (pain catastrophizing), sleep disturbance, and anxiety at 3 and 6 months post-treatment.

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 of ER in American Indian populations
Time Frame: From participant accrual to the completion of their 3-mon follow up survey (approx. 4 months)

Indexed by:

  • ≥70% attendance rate amongst all eligible participants
  • An average treatment satisfaction rating of ≥ 8 on a 0-10 scale (with 0 being completely dissatisfied and 10 being completely satisfied)
  • Successful recruitment and completion of 70 participants within one year

Measures will be factored together to make an assessment on total feasibility.
From participant accrual to the completion of their 3-mon follow up survey (approx. 4 months)
Identify areas for cultural tailoring and improvement of ER
Time Frame: Assessed as part of the optional (n=30) Qualitative Post-class interview. (approx. 30 minutes)

We will use qualitative data from interviews to generate actionable recommendations to improve the cultural engagement, acceptability, and relevance of ER for American Indians with cancer.
Assessed as part of the optional (n=30) Qualitative Post-class interview. (approx. 30 minutes)
Pain Intensity
Time Frame: Data collected at the 1-, 2-, and 3-month follow up survey following the ER class

Pain intensity will be reported on a scale from 1-10, with 1 being "No Pain" and 10 being "Worst Pain Imaginable."
Data collected at the 1-, 2-, and 3-month follow up survey following the ER class
Pain Interference
Time Frame: Data collected at the 1-, 2-, and 3-month follow up survey following the ER class.

Pain interference will be gauged using a series of questions decerning the impact of the participants participants pain on daily activities. Participants will rate the interference on a scale from 1-5, with 1 being "Not at All" and 5 being "Very Much."
Data collected at the 1-, 2-, and 3-month follow up survey following the ER class.
Emotional Distress
Time Frame: Data collected at the 1-, 2-, and 3-month follow up survey following the ER class.

Emotional distress will be measured using a series of questionnaires asking participants about the frequency of certain emotional reactions. Participants will report frequency on a scale from 1-5, with 1 being "Never" and 5 being "Always."
Data collected at the 1-, 2-, and 3-month follow up survey following the ER class.
Sleep Disturbance
Time Frame: Data collected at the 1-, 2-, and 3-month follow up survey following the ER class.

Sleep Disturbance will be recorded using a series of questions rating the quality and frequency of sleep. Participants will report on quality and frequency on a scale from 1-5, with 1 being "Very Poor/Not at All" and 5 being "Very Good/Very Much."
Data collected at the 1-, 2-, and 3-month follow up survey following the ER class.
Perceived Quality of Life
Time Frame: Data collected at the 1-, 2-, and 3-month follow up survey following the ER class.

Perceived Quality of Life will be reported on a scale from 1-5, with 1 being "Poor" and 5 being "Excellent."
Data collected at the 1-, 2-, and 3-month follow up survey following the ER class.

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.
University of Oklahoma

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: Sophia You, University of Oklahoma

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 (Estimated)

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.
October 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
August 1, 2027

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.
December 1, 2027

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).
July 20, 2026

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.
July 28, 2026

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.
August 3, 2026

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.
September 18, 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.
September 16, 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.
September 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.
  • 20065Ph1

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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