The effect of self-management online modules plus nurse-led support on pain and quality of life among young adults with irritable bowel syndrome: A randomized controlled trial.
Jie Chen, Yiming Zhang, Zahra Amirkhanzadeh Barandouzi and 7 others
PMID 35640500WHAT IT FOUND
Online self-management modules reduced pain in young adults with IBS.
Adding nurse-led phone consultations did not reduce pain further but improved quality of life and anxiety more than modules alone.
Key findings
01Both the online modules alone and the modules plus nurse-led consultations significantly reduced average pain intensity and pain interference at 12 weeks.
02Nurse-led consultations did not reduce pain more than online modules alone, but they significantly improved overall IBS quality of life.
03The nurse-led group showed significant improvement in anxiety, while the online-only group did not show significant improvement in any symptom outcomes.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study population was mostly non-Hispanic White females and college students, limiting generalizability to other demographics. Adherence to the online modules was only tracked by link clicks, not by actual viewing time, so it is unclear how thoroughly participants engaged with the material. The follow-up period was only 12 weeks, so it is unknown if the benefits persist for a chronic condition like IBS. As a pilot study, no multiplicity adjustment was made for testing multiple hypotheses, which increases the risk of false-positive findings.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that nurse-led consultations are superior for pain management. The study found no significant difference in pain reduction between the nurse-led group and the online-only group; the nurse-led advantage was specifically in quality of life and anxiety.