Three Brief Psychological Interventions for Acute Pain in Inpatients in Boyacá

Summary

This study evaluates two brief, non-drug psychological techniques-body-scan mindfulness and guided imagery/distraction-delivered as a single bedside session to reduce acute pain in adults admitted to short-stay inpatient wards or emergency observation units in Boyacá, Colombia. Participants are randomly assigned (1:1:1) to body-scan mindfulness, guided imagery/distraction, or a brief cognitive-behavioral psychoeducation session (active comparator). Each session lasts under 20 minutes and usual medical care continues. Pain intensity (0-10) is recorded within 5 minutes before the session and within 2 minutes after completion on the same day. If pain remains very high (e.g., ≥8-9/10) or the activity cannot be completed, up to 5 minutes of supervised slow deep-breathing may be offered as rescue, and the clinical team may adjust analgesics per routine care. Secondary measures (specified in Outcome Measures) include patient satisfaction, feasibility (session duration and completion), use of rescue measure, and adverse events; exploratory data may include short-term psychological scales collected by a blinded assessor and the association with length of stay during the current admission. Adults aged ≥18 years with acute pain ≤7 days and baseline pain ≥4/10 may be eligible. The study takes place across four public hospitals in Boyacá, Colombia.

Conditions

• Pain Management
• Pain Acute

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Guided Imagery

Single, bedside session (\~15-20 minutes) of therapist-guided guided imagery/distraction that redirects attention from pain toward neutral or pleasant sensory images and simple attentional shifts. Seated or semi-reclined, conversational and supportive, in addition to usual care. Pain is rated immediately before and after the session (0-10).

BEHAVIORAL

Body-Scan Mindfulness

Single, bedside body-scan mindfulness session (\~12-20 minutes) guiding non-judgmental attention sequentially through body areas-including regions without pain-to cultivate an open, accepting stance toward pain. Delivered seated or semi-reclined with usual care continuing. Pain is rated immediately before and after (0-10).

BEHAVIORAL

CBT-Based Psychoeducation (ABC Model)

Brief, structured explanation of the ABC cognitive-behavioral model (thoughts-emotions-behaviors) applied to pain (\~10-15 minutes) using a practical example; no skills training or practice. Serves as an active comparator controlling for time and attention. After the immediate post-session pain assessment, participants in this arm receive one of the two techniques (body-scan mindfulness or guided imagery) during the same visit (equity measure).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• ESE Hospital Regional de Sogamoso

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• ESE Hospital Santa Marta de Samacá

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• ESE Santiago de Tunja

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• ESE Hospital Regional de Chiquinquirá

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

90 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-01-31

Primary Completion

2026-12-15

Completion

2026-12-16

Countries

• Colombia

Study Locations