The effect of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) on abdominal pain in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial (EMDR4IBS)

This study is a randomized controlled trial which will be conducted at a city hospital in the Netherlands. Adult patients with considerable IBS pain (pain intensity at least 60/100 during at least 5/10  days) will be randomly assigned to either EMDR therapy or the wait list. We aim to include 34 participants. The EMDR condition comprises seven sessions, around 90 min in length delivered weekly, the first of which is a case conceptualization session. All participants will be assessed at baseline, post-treatment, and at 3 months follow-up. The primary outcome measure is pain intensity on a Likert scale which is self-reported daily during a 2-week period. Secondary outcomes include similar daily ratings on other IBS symptoms and reported hindrance of valued activities, and also standardized questionnaires on IBS symptoms and Quality of Life. Data will be analyzed by a Linear Mixed Effects Model for repeated measures.DiscussionThe results are expected to gain insight into the effectiveness of EMDR treatment on abdominal pain in IBS. As there are very few effective treatment options for IBS-related abdominal pain, this study could have important implications for clinical practice.Trial registrationHuman ethics committee MEC-U NL71740.100.20. International Clinical Trial Registry Platform: NL8894. Prospectively registered on 28 January 2020.
Source: Trials - Category: Research Source Type: clinical trials