30 Participants Needed

Positive Language for Anesthesia Pain Reduction

JP
AB
Overseen ByAaron Berg, MD
Age: 18+
Sex: Female
Trial Phase: Academic
Sponsor: University of Minnesota

Trial Summary

What is the purpose of this trial?

To discover if a positive description of the procedure for an epidural can reduce the overall pain score associated with the procedure.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial does not specify if you need to stop taking your current medications, but if you are on chronic opioids, you would not be eligible to participate.

What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment Negative Connotation Language, Positive Connotation Language for reducing anesthesia pain?

Research shows that using positive language can reduce pain and anxiety, as negative words like 'pain' can increase discomfort. Positive suggestions during surgery have been found to lower pain and the need for pain medication afterward.12345

Is the use of positive language for anesthesia pain reduction safe for humans?

The available research does not provide specific safety data on using positive language for anesthesia pain reduction, but it highlights the need for better reporting of adverse events in clinical trials related to anesthesia and pain treatments.678910

How does the Positive Language treatment for anesthesia pain differ from other treatments?

The Positive Language treatment is unique because it uses the natural positivity bias in human language to potentially reduce pain perception during anesthesia, unlike traditional methods that rely on medications or physical interventions. This approach leverages the emotional impact of positive words to influence the patient's experience, which is a novel mechanism compared to standard pain management techniques.1112131415

Research Team

AB

Aaron Berg, MD

Principal Investigator

University of Minnesota

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for pregnant individuals who are requesting an epidural for the first time and can speak English. It's not suitable for those with a history of opioid abuse, previous epidurals or lumbar spine surgery, a BMI over 40 kg/m^2, or chronic pain patients on opioids.

Inclusion Criteria

Pregnancy
I am requesting an epidural for the first time.

Exclusion Criteria

I have chronic pain or take opioids regularly.
Inability to speak English
I have had an epidural before.
See 3 more

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

1-2 weeks

Treatment

Participants receive either the 'Poke and a burn' or 'numbing medication' script during epidural placement

1 hour
1 visit (in-person)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for satisfaction and pain score after the epidural procedure

1 hour

Treatment Details

Interventions

  • Negative Connotation Language
  • Positive Connotation Language
Trial OverviewThe study aims to find out if using positive language when describing an epidural procedure can help reduce the pain felt during the process compared to using negative language. Participants will be randomly assigned to hear either type of language.
Participant Groups
2Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Placebo Group
Group I: Positive Connotation GroupExperimental Treatment1 Intervention
Participants in this group will receive the experimental treatment.
Group II: Nocebo GroupPlacebo Group1 Intervention
Participants in this group will receive the control treatment

Find a Clinic Near You

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of Minnesota

Lead Sponsor

Trials
1,459
Recruited
1,623,000+

Findings from Research

Women who were asked to rate their pain after a Caesarean section reported higher pain scores and were more likely to feel bothered by their surgery compared to those who rated their comfort, indicating that the way questions are framed can significantly affect patient perceptions.
The study, involving 300 women, found that those in the pain assessment group not only reported greater discomfort but also requested more pain relief, suggesting that focusing on pain may increase anxiety and the perception of negative postoperative experiences.
Pain vs comfort scores after Caesarean section: a randomized trial.Chooi, CS., White, AM., Tan, SG., et al.[2018]
In a study of 180 women after cesarean section, those asked to rate their comfort reported lower incidences of pain (54.4%) compared to those asked to rate their pain (68.9%), suggesting that the language used in pain assessment can influence patient perceptions.
Using positive language like 'comfort' instead of negative terms related to pain not only reduced the number of women reporting pain but also affected their perception of the surgical wound, indicating that how we ask about pain can impact the overall patient experience.
A randomized comparative study assessing efficacy of pain versus comfort scores.Jain, R., Grewal, A.[2020]
In a study analyzing 51 preoperative consultations involving children and their parents, 69% of the suggestions made by nurses were negatively worded, often focusing on pain and discomfort, which could adversely affect patient perception and experience.
The study highlights the need for nurse education on the impact of language, as positive suggestions were significantly less common (31%), suggesting that improving communication could enhance the overall preoperative experience for pediatric patients.
Preanesthetic nurse communication with children and parents--an observational study.Perry, C., Samuelsson, C., Cyna, AM.[2022]

References

Pain vs comfort scores after Caesarean section: a randomized trial. [2018]
A randomized comparative study assessing efficacy of pain versus comfort scores. [2020]
Preanesthetic nurse communication with children and parents--an observational study. [2022]
Postoperative analgesic requirements in patients exposed to positive intraoperative suggestions. [2019]
Introducing a teaching module to impart communication skills in the learning anaesthesiologists. [2020]
Adverse Event Reporting in Clinical Trials of Intravenous and Invasive Pain Treatments: An ACTTION Systematic Review. [2018]
[Confusions and ambiguities in the classification of adverse events in the clinical research]. [2019]
Official definitions for undesirable medical events : Are they correctly applied in medicine? [2020]
National pediatric anesthesia safety quality improvement program in the United States. [2021]
The reliability of manual reporting of clinical events in an anesthesia information management system (AIMS). [2021]
11.United Statespubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Age differences in memory for arousing and nonarousing emotional words. [2019]
12.United Statespubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Examining the N400m in affectively negative sentences: A magnetoencephalography study. [2017]
13.United Statespubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Positivity of the English language. [2021]
14.United Statespubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Human language reveals a universal positivity bias. [2019]
How does emotional content affect lexical processing? [2022]