Stanford Value Study:

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The National Pain Council recently interviewed Stanford University's Beth Darnall PhD, and Sean Mackey, MD, PhD asking the questions we all want to know regarding The Value Study.  Keep a lookout for our upcoming Newsletter for a full list of the questions, and answers.

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What does the VALUE Study involve?

The VALUE Study involves completing three online surveys and three brief phone calls with a study staff to check medications.

VALUE study participants complete three online surveys:  baseline, 6 months and 12 months. Each survey may take you about 45 minutes to complete. Each survey that may take 45 minutes to complete. The survey will ask you questions about pain, symptoms, pain coping, medication use, mood, sleep, substance use, general health and well-being.

After each survey, a study staff will call you to confirm your current medications over the phone and answer any questions that you may have.

What you get: When you complete each survey, you will immediately receive an Amazon gift card.

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To Participate in the Value Study go to here to signup!

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What is the VALUE study?

The VALUE study was created in partnership with people with lived experience, with
the intention of bringing forward national data to describe the patient experience of
those using opioid pain medications to manage long-term pain.
 

The VALUE study is an observational study, meaning we do not apply any
interventions or change care in any way. Rather, we observe and collect
information directly from patients through three surveys, delivered over one year, to
help us understand the patient experience over this timeframe.
 

Specific study details involve asking participants with chronic pain taking prescription
opioids to complete three online surveys (at the beginning, or “baseline,” at 6 months,
and again, at 12 months) and three brief phone calls with study staff. The surveys ask
questions about pain, symptoms, pain coping, medication use, mood, sleep, substance
use, general health and well-being. After each survey, a member of the study staff will
call enrollees confirm their current medications over the phone and answer any
questions that they may have. When they complete each survey, they will immediately
receive an Amazon gift card.
 

The study is entirely voluntary, does not impact medical care, and neither medical
records nor prescription drug monitoring databases (PDMPs) are accessed. Participants
may skip any questions they do not wish to answer. There are many free-text response
fields so people can give us ample details about their experiences – an option that is
often missing from “forced choice” surveys.

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Interview Questions:

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What is the purpose of the VALUE study?

The VALUE study seeks to accomplish two goals. The first is to address a series of
questions related to long-term use of pain medications such as opioids. These
questions include:

• Whether prescription opioids help treat pain and if so, how much;

• Whether patients experience stigma around receiving prescription opioids;

• What problems people may experience with opioids prescribed for chronic pain;

• Whether patients have difficulty accessing opioids that are prescribed to them;

• Whether or not there are significant risks to the use of opioids when used long

term, and if so, what they are;

• Whether or not those using prescribed opioids for persistent pain develop

problematic use or Substance Use Disorder, and if so, how often.
The second goal is to bring forward the patient voice and experiences about
prescription opioids to inform future research and care. The patient experience is
often not included in research on the long-term use of pain medications such as
opioids and this is a major limitation in our understandings.

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Interested in joining National Pain Council?  Contact Us