Internet-based interventions for pain management: A systematic review of randomised controlled trial (RCTs) conducted from 2010 to 2014

Limited access to pain management programs was identified as one of the hindering factors in pain treatment. Several internet-based interventions have been developed to improve accessibility. A systematic review of trials of such programs in 2010 documented a preliminary promising effect.  A PubMed electronic search was used to identify a systematic randomized controlled trail (RCTs) published 1 January, 2010 to 4 November, 2014 that examined the effectiveness of internet-based pain management programs. The methodological vigorousness of trials was assessed by Jadad scoring system. Out of the 20 RCTs, 5 were on chronic pain, 2 were on acute non-specific pain, while 13 were on disease related pain (rheumatological and neurological diseases, burns, post-operative and cancer-related). Most studies had moderate methodological quality and showed consistent results with respect to effectiveness of internet based programs in reduction of pain, improvement in functionality and psychological well-being. Whilst the current systematic review found a significant pain reduction attributed to internet-based pain interventions further, high-quality RCT are needed to confirm such promising findings.   Key words: Pain, ache, migraine, sciatica, headache, management, treatment, technology, computer, computer-based, internet, internet-based, web, web-based, virtual.