Table 2.

E-Health learning center content and therapeutic approach

1. Thinking Better - Derived from cognitive models of pain management, this learning center teaches the person with chronic pain how to recognize, interrupt, challenge, and replace dysfunctional thinking. Users create a custom plan to decrease self-defeating thoughts while increasing effective thinking.

2. Feeling Better - Provides training in fundamental methods of emotion regulation, including identifying negative and positive emotional triggers, the role of relaxation training in emotion regulation, and incorporating positive emotional triggers into daily life. A set of relaxation sessions offer practice in using breathing as a trigger for relaxation, progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery, and mindfulness meditation.

3. Doing More - The primary goals are to increase activity and exercise and promote goal-based activities. This learning center is based on behavioral and motivational models of pain self-management.

4. Relating Better - This is derived from interpersonal/transactional models of pain management. The user learns about types of social support and how to differentiate effective versus ineffective support. A personalized support plan is created.

5. Understanding Pain - This learning center teaches basic concepts underlying the biopsychosocial perspective on chronic pain and its management. It consists of a series of videos covering such topics as medication management, the safe use of pain medication, reducing reliance on pain medication, relaxation, cognitive behavior therapy, biomedical treatment options, and hypnosis.