The overall goal of this protocol is to pilot test a clinician training intervention that uses standardized patients (trained actors playing patient roles) as instructors who impart communication skills to primary care clinicians. This project will conduct a pilot clinical trial of the intervention developed by the primary investigator in order to evaluate intervention feasibility and generate data to plan a subsequent fully-powered, multisite trial. Primary care clinicians will be randomized to receive either the intervention or control; 48 patients (2 per clinician) will then be recorded during clinic visits with study clinicians and will provide data on post-visit perceptions and health outcomes. Study hypotheses are that visits with clinicians who receive the intervention (versus control) will be associated with more frequent use of targeted communication skills, lower probability of high-risk opioid prescribing, higher patient-reported agreement with treatment plan, and lower pain interference 2 months later.
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AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.
Clinician use of targeted communication skills
Timeframe: Over a 3-9 month period (depending on how soon after the intervention clinicians' appointments with patient participants can be scheduled).
Compare efficacy of Control vs Intervention by measuring changes in the way pain interfered with patients lives using the Brief Pain Inventory - Pain Interference subscale survey
Timeframe: 8 weeks