Evaluating the effectiveness of pain relieving creams: volunteers wanted

Would you like to earn £10 by participating in an exciting study? Are you interested in medical research?  Do you want to be a part of a study which has the potential to help those who suffer from pain? Around 1 in 5 people in Europe have suffered from pain for more than 6 months.

Pain can have severe effects on sufferers, affecting their daily activities, social and working lives. As part of my PhD I am conducting a study comparing the effectiveness of two pain relieving creams.  Results from this study have the potential to help those who suffer from pain, leading to a better understanding of the nature of pain and improvements in treatment. You will also be awarded £10 for your participation.

What does the study involve?

In this study, you will be testing how effective two pain relieving creams are in reducing pain. This involves applying the cream to your hand and then completing a cold pressor task. The cold pressor task requires you to submerge your hand in cold water of 2 degrees Celsius for as long as possible or a maximum of two minutes. You will complete this task once with no drug (control) and once for each of the pain-relieving creams.

Throughout the experiment we will ask you to complete a number of questionnaires asking about your perception of pain, mood, and expectations of the pain-relieving creams. After each cold pressor task you will also complete a cognitive task to assess your mental ability after experiencing pain.

The study will last an hour and a half and take place at The School of Pharmacy building, Brunswick Square.

To be a part of this exciting study, or if you have any further questions please contact me by email: andrew.watkinson.12@ucl.ac.uk

This study is conducted by Andrew Watkinson as part of his PhD at the School of Pharmacy, UCL, supervised by Dr. Sarah Chapman (s.chapman@ucl.ac.uk). The study has been approved by UCL research ethics committee, project ID Number: 4785/001. All data will be collected and stored in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998.