Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement: Implementing an evidence-based intervention for chronic pain, opioid use, and opioid addiction in clinical settings.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes, biobehavioural mechanisms, and implementation considerations of Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) for chronic pain, opioid use, and opioid use disorder (OUD).
Results Summary
MORE demonstrated efficacy in reducing opioid dosing, opioid misuse, illicit drug use, depression, post-traumatic stress symptoms, and chronic pain across 13 randomized clinical trials involving over 1300 patients. It outperformed active control conditions and showed potential for facilitating opioid tapering and enhancing medication-assisted treatment for OUD.
Population
Patients with chronic pain, opioid use, and opioid use disorder (OUD).
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) | decrease | opioid dosing | patients | - | demonstrated efficacy for reducing | #1 |
Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) | decrease | opioid misuse | patients | - | demonstrated efficacy for reducing | #2 |
Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) | decrease | illicit drug use | patients | - | demonstrated efficacy for reducing | #3 |
Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) | decrease | depression | patients | - | demonstrated efficacy for reducing | #4 |
Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) | decrease | post-traumatic stress symptoms | patients | - | demonstrated efficacy for reducing | #5 |
Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) | decrease | chronic pain | patients | - | demonstrated efficacy for reducing | #6 |
The opioid crisis emerged in part due to the overprescribing of opioid analgesics for chronic pain. Although not the only source of the current epidemic of opioid use disorder (OUD), the prescription of opioids for chronic pain remains one vector for the development of opioid misuse and OUD. However, opioid tapering is not appropriate for all patients, and some patients may need to remain on opioid therapy for the long term. To reduce the risk of opioid-related harm among people with chronic pain and to treat incipient or entrenched addictive behaviours, new interventions are needed. This review discusses the clinical outcomes, biobehavioural mechanisms and implementation considerations for a novel, evidence-based intervention for chronic pain, opioid use and OUD called Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE). MORE unites complementary aspects of mindfulness training, cognitive behavioural therapy and principles from positive psychology to simultaneously address addictive behaviour, emotion dysregulation and chronic pain by targeting brain reward and stress systems. MORE has been tested in 13 completed randomized clinical trials, including over 1300 patients, and has demonstrated efficacy against a range of active control conditions for reducing opioid dosing, opioid misuse, illicit drug use, depression, post-traumatic stress symptoms and chronic pain. Opportunities for implementing MORE include facilitating opioid tapering and promoting safe opioid use in primary care and specialty pain clinics, decreasing opioid misuse and enhancing medication-assisted treatment for OUD. Given evidence of MORE's efficacy, it is now time to consider disseminating this evidence-based treatment in the United States, the United Kingdom and worldwide.