(204) An Experimental Medicine Approach to Developing Behavioral Interventions to Reduce Pain: Insights from the NIH Science of Behavior Change Program

Abstract

Considering the opioid epidemic, safe alternatives to opioids for pain management is paramount. Effective non-pharmacological management of chronic pain requires individuals to initiate and maintain healthy behavior changes over time. To facilitate behavioral change, an in-depth understanding of mechanisms of action underlying the intervention is required. Supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Common Fund, the Science of Behavior Change (SOBC) program seeks to make behavior change research more impactful, targeted, and systematic by promoting a common, mechanism-focused, experimental medicine approach. In these efforts, SOBC is opening up the “black box” of behavior change and shedding light on how behavior change works. To identify key mechanisms of behavior change, SOBC's experimental medicine approach involves 1) identifying a hypothesized mechanism of behavior change, 2) measuring the mechanism in reliable and valid ways, 3) manipulating that mechanism experimentally, and then 4) determining whether engaging the mechanism results in behavior change. Here, we describe the SOBC approach to behavior change science, and we feature projects from the laboratories of Dr. Eric Garland, Dr. Robert Coghill, and Dr. Joke Bradt as examples of the initial steps to applying the experimental medicine approach to chronic pain.