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Table 1 PICOS elements of the study inclusion criteria

From: Acceptance and commitment therapy for chronic pain: protocol of a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis

Participants

Adult persons (≥ 18 years) with chronic, non-malignant pain (duration > 3 months)

Intervention

Pain-specific ACT, different modes of delivery

e.g.

• Face-to-face individual

• Face-to-face group

• Self-help book with/without guidance

• Self-help internet intervention with/without guidance

Comparator

• Active chronic pain-specific (ACT or non-ACT) treatment

• Wait-list

• Treatment as usual

• Attention control

• Psychological placebo

• No treatment

Outcomes

• Pain specific: interference and intensity

• Emotional functioning: depression and anxiety

• Health-related quality of life

• Participants’ rating of overall improvement

• ACT specific: pain acceptance, psychological flexibility

Study design

Randomized controlled trials with ethics approval

  1. ACT acceptance and commitment therapy