# Equity Using Interventions for Pain and Depression (EQUIPD)

> **NIH NIH R61** · INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS · 2022 · $1,557,606

## Abstract

Project Summary
Nonpharmacological pain treatments (NPTs) are supported by evidence and widely recommended in treatment
guidelines. However, these approaches remain underused. Even as access increases, several patient-related
barriers remain, including lack of knowledge about NPT availability and effectiveness, poor patient-provider
communication, and challenges to engagement and adherence –particularly important as NPTs typically
require more commitment, time, and effort than taking medications. These barriers may be especially
pronounced for patients with comorbid depression, since depressive symptoms can interfere with pain
management, and for Black patients, who continue to experience disparities in pain treatment, including being
offered fewer treatment options than White patients. The overall goal of this proposal is to refine, test, and
prepare to implement a novel approach to overcoming patient-related barriers to NPT use that is tailored to
Black patients with comorbid pain and depression. EQUIPD (Equity Using Interventions for Pain and
Depression) uses 1) a decision aid focused on NPTs to increase use, and 2) a coach to foster patient
engagement and treatment adherence. Drawing on a heuristic model of multi-level mechanisms of racial
injustice in pain outcomes, EQUIPD begins by focusing on the individual, while laying the groundwork for later
intervention at the structural level (i.e., clinic/healthcare system) through subsequent system-wide
implementation. In Phase 1, we will establish a patient engagement panel, elicit primary care providers’
perspectives on the decision aid, and conduct a 2-arm pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) of the
intervention to test and refine procedures. In Phase 2 we will conduct a fully powered (N=250) RCT and
evaluate facilitators and barriers to system-wide implementation. The primary outcome of EQUIPD is pain
interference (at 6 months); secondary outcomes include depression, NPT use, anxiety, pain catastrophizing,
and patient engagement. To facilitate implementation planning, we will conduct interviews with a purposefully
sampled subset of intervention patients and with clinicians, administrators, and other clinic staff to optimize the
intervention and elucidate critical factors for system-wide implementation. EQUIPD simultaneously addresses
disparities pervasive in pain treatment and challenges related to comorbid pain and depression, by partnering
with and empowering minoritized patients to find safe, effective approaches to chronic pain that best match
their values, preferences, and lifestyles. Moreover, EQUIPD helps to advance the National Pain Strategy by
promoting multi-modal approaches to pain care that is tailored to individual patients’ needs.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10595133
- **Project number:** 1R61NR020845-01
- **Recipient organization:** INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS
- **Principal Investigator:** Marianne S Matthias
- **Activity code:** R61 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $1,557,606
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-21 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10595133

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10595133, Equity Using Interventions for Pain and Depression (EQUIPD) (1R61NR020845-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10595133. Licensed CC0.

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