Dissemination and implementation of the Pain Coach App within a Brief Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain...

The primary aim of the present study was to examine the initial impact and implementation of the Pain Coach app within a real-world Veterans Affairs Primary Care Mental Health Integration clinic. Specifically, this study represents a real-world trial of advancing the use of the Pain Coach app into a Brief Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain (CBT-CP) group among veterans with chronic pain being managed in primary care. A secondary aim was to determine participation characteristics of veterans who utilized the Pain Coach app, with a tertiary aim of providing a narrative review of how the Pain Coach app was integrated at our site. This was a retrospective chart review study in which outcomes were evaluated by comparing rates of app usage as defined by assessments completed at either pre- and/or posttreatment via the Pain Coach app. Veterans who used the Pain Coach app attended significantly more sessions of the Brief CBT-CP group than veterans who did not use it. Early engagement with the app predicted number of sessions of Brief CBT-CP completed, suggesting that early incorporation of the app may be beneficial for reducing attrition. Certain participant characteristics were associated with Pain Coach app use, such that women, those with a history of military sexual trauma, and no previous mental health diagnosis were more likely to use the app. Age was not associated with app use, indicating that older adults were just as likely to use the app as their younger counterparts. Though it was released in 2024, research on the Pain Coach app is limited. Current findings from the initial phase of dissemination and implementation of the Pain Coach app within a Brief CBT-CP group provide support for the feasibility and effectiveness of integrating mobile-assisted technology in a real-world Veterans Affairs Primary Care Mental Health Integration clinic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).