We demonstrated that educational interventions produced
clearer effects when compared with usual care rather than placebo/attention
control, which helps to assess the magnitude of
the clinical effect (though only a direct comparison within the
same well-conducted RCT would provide a definitive answer to
this question). The inclusion of information booklets on pain management
as comparator (versus coaching plus booklet) in five of
the nine placebo/attention control studies is likely to have moderated
the effects of intervention, particularly if written or ‘take
away’ material is the most important aspect of patient education