LAUSR

BACKGROUND Chronic pain among adolescents is common but effective interventions applicable in a school setting are rare. Person-centred care (PCC) is a key factor in improving health by engaging people as partners in their own care. METHODS In this randomized controlled trial, a total of 98 adolescents in secondary school or upper secondary school (aged 14-21 years) with chronic pain were randomly assigned to a PCC intervention or standard school health care. In the intervention group a pain management program, based on a PCC approach, comprising four face-to-face sessions with a school nurse over a period of five weeks was added to standard school health care. The main outcome measure was self-efficacy in daily activities (SEDA scale) and rating scales for pain intensity and pain impact were used as secondary outcome measures. RESULTS At the follow-up, no significant differences were found between the groups in the SEDA scale (p=0.608) or in the rating scales for pain intensity (p=0.261) and pain impact (0.836). In the sub-group analysis, a significant improvement in the SEDA scale was detected at the secondary school in favour of the PCC intervention group (p=0.021). CONCLUSION In this pain management program based on a PCC approach, we found no effect in the total sample, but the program showed promising results to improve self-efficacy in daily activities among adolescents at secondary school.