A Telemedicine Strategy for Hypnosis in the Management of Chronic Neuropathic Pain: A Randomized Exploratory Study

Hypnosis is recommended for the management of chronic neuropathic pain, but access to this intervention remains limited due to travel distances and difficulties. This single-center, prospective, randomized exploratory study evaluated the feasibility of a hypnosis program carried out partly via telemedicine, compared with a full face-to-face program. A total of 30 eligible patients were randomized into a group of 15 patients who received three of five sessions via telemedicine and a control group of 15 patients who received all sessions in person. Primary outcomes were feasibility of the telemedicine-based hypnosis, secondary outcomes included pain score, anxiety and depressive symptoms, frequency of self-hypnosis practice, and qualitative subjective experience. Most patients (80%) completed the telemedicine program, suggesting a good feasibility. Preliminary efficacy results indicated a mean reduction of pain intensity of 2.7 (±2.0) points in the telemedicine group compared with 2.2 (±1.8) in the control group with an average difference of 0.5, 95% CI [-1.1; 2.0]. Our exploratory study suggests that the telemedicine hypnosis program is feasible for managing neuropathic pain.