Design and Reporting Characteristics of Clinical Trials of Select Chronic and Recurrent Pediatric Pain Conditions: An Analgesic, Anesthetic, and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations, Innovations, Opportunities, and Networks Systematic Review

Most physical interventions for musculoskeletal pain in children and adolescents cannot be reproduced in clinical practice: a meta-research study of randomized clinical trials

INTRODUCTION

Conservative treatments such as physical therapies are usually the most indicated for the management of musculoskeletal pain; therefore, a detailed description of interventions enables the reproducibility of interventions in clinical practice and future research. The objective of this study is to evaluate the description of physical interventions for musculoskeletal pain in children and adolescents.

METHODS

We considered randomized controlled trials that included children and adolescents between 4 and 19 years old with acute or chronic/persistent musculoskeletal pain. We included physical therapies related to all types of physical modalities aimed at reducing the intensity of pain or disability in children and adolescents with musculoskeletal pain. The description of interventions was assessed using the Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) checklist. We performed electronic searches in the following databases: CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsyINFO and PEDro up to April 2024. The description of physical interventions was presented using frequencies, percentages and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of the TIDieR checklist items described in each study. We also calculated the total TIDieR score for each study and presented these data as mean and standard deviation.

RESULTS

We included 17 randomized controlled trials. The description measured through the TIDieR checklist scored an average of 11 (5.2) points out of 24. The item of the TIDieR that was most described was item 1 (brief name) and most absent was item 10 (modifications).

CONCLUSION

The descriptions of physical interventions for the treatment of musculoskeletal pain in children and adolescents are partially described, indicating the need for strategies to improve the quality of description to enable true clinical reproducibility.

Chronic pain in children and adolescents in Manitoba: A retrospective chart review to inform the development of a provincial service for pediatric chronic pain

Background

In the absence of an interdisciplinary service for pediatric chronic pain in Manitoba, pain management has been offered through a single provider outpatient setting with consultative services from physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and psychiatry since October 2015.

Aims

The aim of this study was to characterize the patient population of this clinic to understand needs and inform future service development for pediatric chronic pain.

Methods

Demographics and disease characteristics of all patients seen in this clinic between October 1, 2015, and February 28, 2019, were analyzed retrospectively from electronic medical records.

Results

A total of 157 patients, mean age 13.1 (sd ±3.0) years, 75.2% female, with a median duration of pain of 20.5 (interquartile range [IQR] = 10.0–45.8) months at their first visit were included in the study. At baseline, 74.0% of patients experienced insomnia, 76.6% fatigue, 86.5% symptoms of anxiety, and 58.69% symptoms of depression; 80.1% showed withdrawal from physical activity, 67.1% missed school, and 10.2% reported opioid usage. Throughout their care in clinic, 83.4% of patients received physiotherapy, 17.8% occupational therapy, 49.7% mental health support, and 51.6% care from multiple services. The clinic experienced a significant increase in median referrals from 1.0 to 5.0 (IQR = 2.0–9.0) per month and wait time from 35.0 to 97.0 (IQR = 88.0–251.0) days during the observation period.

Conclusions

Developing an interdisciplinary service for pediatric chronic pain will provide an opportunity to improve access, coordination, and comprehensiveness of care and to employ culturally sensitive services to improve care for children and youth living with chronic pain in Manitoba and possibly other jurisdictions with similar demographics and needs.

Core outcome set for pediatric chronic pain clinical trials: results from a Delphi poll and consensus meeting

Appropriate outcome measures and high-quality intervention trials are critical to advancing care for children with chronic pain. Our aim was to update a core outcome set for pediatric chronic pain interventions. The first phase involved collecting providers', patients', and parents' perspectives about treatment of pediatric chronic pain to understand clinically meaningful outcomes to be routinely measured. The second phase was to reach consensus of mandatory and optional outcome domains following the OMERACT framework. A modified Delphi study with 2 rounds was conducted including 3 stakeholder groups: children with chronic pain (n = 93), their parents (n = 90), and health care providers who treat youth with chronic pain (n = 52). Quantitative and qualitative data from round 1 of the Delphi study were summarized to identify important outcomes, which were condensed to a list of 10 outcome domains. Round 2 surveys were analyzed to determine the importance of the 10 domains and their relative ranking in each stakeholder group. A virtual consensus conference was held with the steering committee to reach consensus on a set of recommended outcome domains for pediatric chronic pain clinical trials. It was determined, by unanimous vote, that pain severity, pain interference with daily living, overall well-being, and adverse events, including death, would be considered mandatory domains to be assessed in all trials of any type of intervention. Emotional functioning, physical functioning, and sleep were important but optional domains. Last, the research agenda identifies several important emerging areas, including biomarkers. Future work includes selecting appropriate validated measures to assess each outcome domain.

A digital health psychological intervention (WebMAP Mobile) for children and adolescents with chronic pain: results of a hybrid effectiveness-implementation stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial

Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text.

Using a hybrid implementation-effectiveness design, our digital psychological intervention for pediatric chronic pain (WebMAP) demonstrated successful implementation, but effectiveness was limited by modest treatment engagement.

Although psychological treatments benefit youth with chronic pain, treatment is not accessible in most communities. Digital health interventions offer promise for expanding access and reach to this population. Using a stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial design, we evaluated effectiveness and implementation of a digital health delivered psychological intervention for pediatric chronic pain. One hundred forty-three youth, aged 10 to 17 years, with chronic pain and a caregiver were recruited from 8 clinics in the United States. Active intervention included access to the Web-based Management of Adolescent Pain (WebMAP) Mobile app and the WebMAP parent web site to learn pain self-management skills. Effectiveness outcomes included pain intensity, disability, and patient global impression of change, while Reach, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance were implementation outcomes. Results showed that youth in both treatment conditions (WebMAP vs Usual Care) had similar changes over time in pain and disability. Youth in the WebMAP condition perceived greater improvement (patient global impression of change) at post-treatment and follow-up (d's = 0.54 and 0.44, P < 0.05) compared with youth receiving usual care. Use of the digital health intervention was modest and variable; approximately 30% of youth and parents completed treatment. Greater engagement (number of completed modules) was associated with significantly greater reductions in pain and disability from pre-treatment to follow-up (d's = −0.57 and −0.38, P < 0.05). Parents, youth, and providers found treatment acceptable; providers had positive attitudes and demonstrated referrals over a maintenance period. Further research is needed to understand how to enhance treatment engagement with digital health interventions and optimize implementation.

Analysis of pain perception associated with urodynamic testing in children over 3 years old

OBJECTIVE

To measure the tolerance of urodynamic testing (UDT) in the pediatric patient by means of the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). To analyze which clinical and UDT-related variables influence pain perception.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Cross-sectional study of 139 pediatric patients undergoing UDT (December 2013 - May 2018).

INCLUSION CRITERIA

understanding and expressing their experience after UDT (preschool and school age). No adolescents were included. Measurement instrument Visual Analog Scale (0-10). Other clinical and UDT-associated variables were obtained.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal Wallis test. Spearman's rank correlation analysis (rs). Multivariate analysis through ordinal logistic regression. Significance p < 0.05.

RESULTS

Mean age 7.7 years (SD 2.4), median VAS score, 2 (2-6). In 41% (n = 57), the score was ≥ 4 (moderate pain). Multivariate analysis. Explanatory variables for obtaining a high VAS score: high APUDT score (identifying patient anxiety prior to UDT), sensory-motor alteration in the lower limbs, difficult bladder catheterization and the appearance of pain during the filling phase. Age and duration of the UDT have not influenced the VAS score.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the UDT has resulted in 40% of the pediatric patients in our study expressing discomfort or pain, it is a well-tolerated test. The variables that have influenced on pain perception were patient's anxiety prior to UDT, a sensory-motor alteration located in the lumbosacral metameres, difficult bladder catheterization and the appearance of pain during bladder filling.

DACC Resting State Functional Connectivity as a Predictor of Pain Symptoms Following Motor Vehicle Crash: A Preliminary Investigation

There is significant heterogeneity in pain outcomes following motor vehicle crashes (MVCs), such that a sizeable portion of individuals develop symptoms of chronic pain months after injury while others recover. Despite variable outcomes, the pathogenesis of chronic pain is currently unclear. Previous neuroimaging work implicates the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) in adaptive control of pain, while prior resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging studies find increased functional connectivity (FC) between the dACC and regions involved in pain processing in those with chronic pain. Hyper-connectivity of the dACC to regions that mediate pain response may therefore relate to pain severity. The present study completed rsfMRI scans on N = 22 survivors of MVCs collected within 2 weeks of the incident to test whole-brain dACC-FC as a predictor of pain severity 6 months later. At 2 weeks, pain symptoms were predicted by positive connectivity between the dACC and the premotor cortex. Controlling for pain symptoms at 2 weeks, pain symptoms at 6 months were predicted by negative connectivity between the dACC and the precuneus. Previous research implicates the precuneus in the individual subjective awareness of pain. Given a relatively small sample size, approximately half of which did not experience chronic pain at 6 months, findings warrant replication. Nevertheless, this study provides preliminary evidence of enhanced dACC connectivity with motor regions and decreased connectivity with pain processing regions as immediate and prospective predictors of pain following MVC. PERSPECTIVE: This article presents evidence of distinct neural vulnerabilities that predict chronic pain in MVC survivors based on whole-brain connectivity with the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex.

Pediatric Clinical Endpoint and Pharmacodynamic Biomarkers: Limitations and Opportunities

Medical research in children typically lags behind that of adult research in both quantity and quality. The conduct of rigorous clinical trials in children can raise ethical concerns because of children's status as a 'vulnerable' population. Moreover, carrying out studies in pediatrics also requires logistical considerations that rarely occur with adult clinical trials. Due to the relatively smaller number of pediatric studies to support evidence-based medicine, the practice of medicine in children is far more reliant upon expert opinion than in adult medicine. Children are at risk of not receiving the same level of benefits from precision medicine research, which has flourished with new technologies capable of generating large amounts of data quickly at an individual level. Although progress has been made in pediatric pharmacokinetics, which has led to safer and more effective dosing, gaps in knowledge still exists when it comes to characterization of pediatric disease and differences in pharmacodynamic response between children and adults. This review highlights three specific therapeutic areas where biomarker development can enhance precision medicine in children: asthma, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and pain. These 'case studies' are meant to update the reader on biomarkers used currently in the diagnosis and treatment of these conditions, and their shortcomings within a pediatric context. Current research on surrogate endpoints and pharmacodynamic biomarkers in the above therapeutic areas will also be described. These cases highlight the current lack in pediatric specific surrogate endpoints and pharmacodynamic biomarkers, as well as the research presently being conducted to address these deficiencies. We finally briefly highlight other therapeutic areas where further research in pediatric surrogate endpoints and pharmacodynamic biomarkers can be impactful to the care of children.