"The Pain Doesn't Have to Control You." A Qualitative Evaluation of Three Pain Clinics Teaching Nonopioid Pain Management Strategies
Author: Marc T Braverman1, Karen M Volmar2, Diana J Govier3
Affiliation:
1 School of Social and Behavioral Health Sciences, 2694Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA.
2 Department of Health Policy and Management, 41474University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
3 VA HSR&D Center to Improve Veteran Involvement in Care, Portland, OR, USA.
Conference/Journal: Am J Health Promot
Date published: 2022 Sep 2
Other:
Special Notes: doi: 10.1177/08901171221119799. , Word Count: 232
Purpose:
To explore factors related to effectiveness of nonpharmacological treatment for opioid-dependent patients suffering with chronic pain.
Approach:
A qualitative study incorporating individual interviews and focus group interviews.
Setting:
3 rural Oregon nonopioid pain management clinics.
Intervention:
A 10-week nonpharmacological educational program incorporating cognitive-behavioral therapy, movement therapy, mindfulness, and other skills.
Participants and methods:
Across sites, we conducted 9 individual interviews with clinic staff and 3 focus group interviews with 34 patients who had participated in the course. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes within and across respondent groups.
Results:
Analysis revealed 4 primary themes: program goals; program benefits; characteristics of patients who benefit from the program; coordination of clinic experiences with other care. Several primary findings can be highlighted. The clinics focused on improving patients' quality of life, while opioid use reduction was a potential secondary benefit, driven by patients. Major program benefits included enhanced pain self-management skills, patients' greater assertiveness in communications with healthcare providers, and, in numerous cases, opioid use reduction. Participants were unanimous that predisposition toward active self-management of one's pain was an essential factor for positive outcomes. Patients reported considerable variability in providers' understanding of their clinic participation.
Conclusion:
Nonpharmacological approaches for treating chronic pain can be effective for many patients. Clinics teaching these approaches should be more fully integrated into the healthcare system.
Keywords: chronic pain; nonopioid pain treatment; nonopioid therapy; nonpharmacological pain treatment; pain management; qualitative research.
PMID: 36053192 DOI: 10.1177/08901171221119799
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