Trevor A. Lentz, PT, PhD, MPH, associate professor of orthopaedic surgery, is leading a new two-year NIH-funded study to develop and test an approach to better connect orthopaedic patients experiencing pain-related psychological distress with resources that may help them manage pain.
The R21 project, “Enhanced Navigation to Improve Pain-related Psychological Support and Resource Use in Orthopedics,” will evaluate a Psychological Support and Resource Navigator program. The program is designed to help orthopaedic clinicians identify patients experiencing high levels of pain-related psychological distress and connect them with evidence-supported resources.
The navigator will provide education about the relationship between pain and psychological distress, teach brief pain self-management skills and help patients connect with resources such as online programs, psychologically informed physical therapy and counseling.
The study will evaluate the program among 63 patients with high psychological distress in the Duke Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, assessing its feasibility and patient acceptability. Findings are expected to inform a future comparative effectiveness trial and broader efforts to integrate psychological support into musculoskeletal pain care.
The multidisciplinary project also includes Duke Orthopaedics faculty Chad Cook, Brett Rocos and Steven George, as well as Tamara Somers from Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Lindsay Ballengee from Population Health Sciences and Cindy Green from Biostatistics and Bioinformatics.