internet chat

Sustainable behavioral change in patients with chronic pain is central to modern pain therapy. What is learned should be implemented in everyday life and practiced continuously.

Multimodal inpatient treatment programs have proven highly effective in initiating pain-relieving behavioral changes. The online follow-up chat, moderated by therapists from the Kiel Pain Clinic, serves to improve the sustainability of these behavioral changes. For our patients, an internet-based follow-up program is offered in cooperation with the University of Heidelberg and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research following inpatient treatment. Regular contact with a pain therapist after inpatient treatment, as well as exchanging experiences with other patients who have similar symptoms, has a positive effect on pain management.

The therapy results will be scientifically evaluated. Participation is voluntary. The chat is not open to the public. Only former patients have access after registration. We are comparing the effectiveness of three different aftercare programs:

  • a therapeutically led chat group with the participation of a therapist
  • a chat group without therapeutic guidance (online self-help group)
  • a standard treatment group (no follow-up care offered)

In the therapeutically guided chat group, up to 10 patients meet weekly in an online chat room for 12-15 weeks after their inpatient treatment. They meet with a pain therapist from the Kiel Pain Clinic, whom they met during their hospital stay. Before each chat session, patients are given an individually tailored questionnaire to promote self-management. This questionnaire is designed to help them retain and implement the behaviors learned during their inpatient treatment in their daily lives. After each session, participants are asked questions about the chat. Completing the questionnaires takes approximately 2-3 minutes each.

Initial experiences show that patients are highly engaged and share many important individual experiences. The chat program helps to optimize treatment outcomes and promote their long-term effectiveness. Furthermore, it contributes to the development of new therapy techniques for the future.