Advancing Online Psychology Tools for Chronic Pain

Advancing Online Psychology Tools for Chronic Pain (ADOPT-CP): Feasibility of a Scalable Digital Psychology Intervention and AI-Powered Support for Patients on the Waitlist for Pain Services

Chronic pain affects more than 20% of Canadians and is associated with significant impacts on physical function, mental health, and quality of life. Despite efforts to improve access to multidisciplinary pain care through centralized referral systems, many patients continue to experience prolonged wait times before receiving treatment.

This study evaluates a self-guided digital psychological intervention designed to support chronic pain self-management during the waiting period for specialized pain care. The intervention was developed through a collaboration between the Transitional Pain Service and ManagingLife and aims to improve access to evidence-based psychological support, enhance self-management skills, and reduce pain-related distress among individuals living with chronic pain.

The Advancing Online Psychology Tools for Chronic Pain (ADOPT-CP) intervention provides participants with access to the Manage My Pain (MMP) platform, including a self-guided Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)-based digital psychology program and Solace, an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled conversational support tool for chronic pain. Together, these tools are designed to support pain self-management, emotional coping, and engagement in care.

This study will evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary clinical effects of the ADOPT-CP intervention among individuals waiting to access multidisciplinary chronic pain services through the Toronto Academic Pain Medicine Institute (TAPMI). The intervention aims to provide accessible psychological support and self-management resources during the waiting period for specialized pain care.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Must be deemed to have capacity to provide informed consent;
2. Must sign and date the informed consent form;
3. Must state willingness to comply with all study procedures;
4. Must be at least 18 years of age;
5. Must be referred to TAPMI;
6. Must have either fibromyalgia or chronic pelvic pain
7. Must be on the waitlist at TAPMI;
8. Must have access to a device that can connect to the Internet with access to email.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Currently engaged in psychotherapy or engaged in psychotherapy within the last month at the time of enrolment;
2. Unable to read, understand, or communicate in English sufficiently to provide informed consent and complete the study procedures and questionnaires;
3. Has active serious mental illness or psychiatric instability that, in the opinion of the research team, may impair the ability to safely participate in the study or to provide informed consent (e.g., active psychosis, active mania);
4. Has a visual, auditory, or other functional impairment that would prevent independent access to and use of the digital intervention and study procedures on an internet-enabled device.