ArticleJMIR research protocols2026
An Online Gamified Pain Management Program for Adults With Chronic Pain: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.
Article in JMIR research protocols, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAlthough digital interventions have been widely used in chronic pain management, evidence on their effectiveness has demonstrated heterogeneity. They have low retention rates, which are exacerbated by a lack of feedback, social interaction, and engaging content, contributing to boredom and higher attrition. Gamification offers a possibility to overcome these barriers and enhance user motivation and engagement.
objectiveThis study aims to investigate the effects of an online gamified pain management program in a sample of adults with chronic noncancer pain.
methodsA 2-arm, single-blind randomized controlled trial will recruit 172 participants through Chinese hospitals and online platforms. Eligible participants will be randomized to 2 groups: a 10-week gamified pain management program for the experimental group and routine online pain management materials for the control group. Primary outcomes, including pain intensity and pain interference, and secondary outcomes, including fear avoidance, emotion, exercise adherence, quality of life, and user satisfaction, will be assessed at baseline, after the intervention (10 weeks), and at a 3-month follow-up. A mixed-design ANOVA and intention-to-treat analysis will be used to evaluate intervention effects.
resultsThe trial is registered, with recruitment ongoing from July 2025 to August 2026. A total of 172 participants (86 per group) will be recruited. As of November 17, 2025, we have recruited 19 participants. Results are expected to be published in March 2027.
conclusionsThe findings will address a critical gap by examining a novel gamified intervention within a theory-driven design to provide an engaging solution to improve self-management in people with chronic pain.
trial registrationChinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2400094247; https://www.chictr.org.cn/hvshowproject.html?id=266029&v=1.0. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/80542.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.