GRACE Study (Sickle Cell Disease Pain) - Clinical Trial
What is the Purpose of this Study?
We are doing this study to compare different approaches to pain relief for people with sickle cell disease (SCD). We want to find if acupuncture or guided relaxation therapies are helpful methods to lower pain from SCD, and we also want to find out which options work best for most people.
Chronic Pain Related to Sickle Cell Disease (SCD)
Who Can Participate in the Study?
Adults ages 18+ who:
- Are diagnosed with SCD
- Are able to speak and understand English
- Have had pain for some days, most days, or every day for the past 3 months
- Currently have pain that is at least 3 on a scale from 0-10
For more information about who can join this study, contact the study team at olivia.fernandez@duke.edu.
What is Involved?
If you join in this study, you will:
- Get a random assignment (fair, equal chance) to 1 of 3 study groups:
-- Acupuncture: you will have acupuncture sessions twice a week for 5 weeks (10 visits total); OR
-- Guided relaxation: you will watch instructional videos every day for 6 weeks; OR
-- Usual care: you will continue doing what you are doing for pain relief
After 6 weeks, we might ask you to continue with the pain relief approach in your assigned group or we might ask you to switch to a different approach. Your participation in the study will last for up to 24 weeks.
Study Details
