Pilot of Peers Enhancing Engagement for Pain Services (PEEPS)

Chronic non-cancer pain is common among Veterans, and more work is needed to understand how best to support Veterans with chronic pain to improve pain-related function and quality of life. Peer specialists may be valuable resource to support Veterans in pain management. Peer specialists, individuals with lived experience who are hired and trained to work with Veterans, are increasingly being used outside traditional mental health settings. More research is needed to understand how best to train peer specialists to work in new settings and with new presenting problems, such as chronic pain. Peer support to help Veterans improve pain-related function, increase physical activity, and engage in recommended pain care, is especially needed. In this study, the investigators will finalize a peer-led intervention and then pilot it with 24 Veterans with chronic pain in order to establish feasibility and acceptability; results will be used to develop a larger proposal testing the intervention in a randomized trial.

Inclusion Criteria:Veteran receiving care from VA Connecticut Healthcare Systemreferred to a VA Connecticut Pain Management Teamhas high-impact chronic pain as defined by the Graded Chronic Pain Scale - Revisedwilling/able to participate in sessions either in person or via videoExclusion Criteria:moderate to severe cognitive impairment or apparent difficulty communicating with the research staffinability to read or understand Englishseverely impaired hearing or speech that would preclude them from participating in telephone interviews