Observational Study of Qigong as a Complementary Self-Care Practice at a Tertiary-Care Pain Management Unit

Table 1

Components of an observational trial of qigong as a voluntary self-care practice at a tertiary-care pain management unit.

Interval 1: RIM1	Interval 2: RIM2
July 1, 2014–May 31, 2015	July 1, 2016–May 31, 2017
Six 6-week sessions (summer, fall 1, fall 2, winter 1, winter 2, spring)	Six 6-week sessions (summer, fall 1, fall 2, winter 1, winter 2, spring)
Data collected at interval entry:
(1) General: consent, demographics, medical history, qigong practice history
(2) Quantitative measures^1: BPI, POMS, SF-12, PSQI^2, CFS^2
(3) Attitudinal measures: HLC
Data collected at the end of each 6-week session:
(1) Quantitative measures: BPI, POMS, SF-12, PSQI^2, CFS^2
(2) Qualitative comments: open-ended survey containing questions relating to pain, sleep, other health areas, quality of life, current medication
(3) Self-reported practice time: weekly log
Number of participants: N = 29 (4 NEW to qigong)	Number of participants: N = 29 (11 NEW to qigong; N = 15 continued from RIM1; N = 3 with prior qigong experience joined RIM2)
Discontinuations: N = 4 (not included in total)	Discontinuations: N = 6 (not included in total)

BPI, Brief Pain Inventory; CFS, Chronic Fatigue Scale; HLC, Health Locus of Control; POMS, Profile of Mood Scores; PSQI, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index; SF-12 Quality of Life Survey. ¹Quantitative measures at interval entry represent baselines only for those who were new to qigong; for those with prior experience, they represent anchor study entered values. ²Quantitative measures relating to sleep and fatigue were included in RIM2; other measures as in RIM1.