The Multidisciplinary Approach to Chronic Pelvic Pain (MAPP) study team is now planning another study. The purpose of the study is to better understand how persons with either interstitial cystitis/ painful bladder syndrome or chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome respond to different treatment. It is important that the main feature of this study be acceptable to most patients with these syndromes in order to enroll enough patients into the study. The purpose of this survey is to ask you a few important questions about the likely features of our proposed new study that might affect whether you would consider participating. The information collected in this survey will not commit you to participate (or not participate). Our main interest is to learn which factors you would most consider if you are thinking about participating in such a study. As is the case for all information we collect your responses will be kept confidential.
Our current thinking about this new study is as follows. Individuals would be asked to take several treatments for their condition that they may or may not have previously tried. These treatments would most likely be those for which there is some evidence of effectiveness for patients with interstitial cystitis/ painful bladder syndrome and/or chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome. But, like most treatments, these work in some but not all patients with these conditions.
We would ask individuals to take several different treatments for several months each. They would come in for a study visit prior to, and following, each treatment to determine how well they have responded to each treatment. The study will take about one year to complete. We would test several treatments in each individual. Each person must stop taking or receiving their assigned treatment to achieve a new “baseline” before starting the next treatment. Also please note, Participants may be blinded for some treatments during the study; that is, they will not know what treatment (i.e., what specific medication) they are receiving during the study, in order to obtain the most objective results. The order of treatment will be randomly assigned.
Participants in this study will not be asked to discontinue any prescribed medications for interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome or chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome that they are currently taking.
