Background & Aims
Successful pain management depends on a well-functioning and collaborating team of interdisciplinary healthcare providers [1-4; 6]. To establish interdisciplinary collaboration, members of a pain management team should identify with a common framework that helps them to communicate with patients about pain and treatment options in a unified way. The Pain Avoidance and Meaning Model (PAMM) [7] is an adaptation of the Fear Avoidance Model (FAM) [5][8] and provides ‘patient friendly’ descriptions of how persistent pain develops as well as a rationale for various tools of pain management. The interdisciplinary Exercise n’ Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (EnACT) Program, developed by an Australian Specialist Pain Service for Chronic Pain [7], builds on the PAMM and integrates strategies from cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and acceptance commitment-based therapy (ACT). The central aim of this study is to examine patients’ perspective on this interdisciplinary treatment framework.
Methods
To answer our research question, qualitative and quantitative data was gained from an anonymous survey that was completed by 22 patients with chronic pain at the end of an EnACT intervention. Patients were asked about their satisfaction with the program, about how helpful they experienced different modules of the program about strategies that they learned from the group intervention and that they are committed to implement them in their future everyday life. in-depth interviews with patients who have taken part in the EnACT group and other Pain management programs based on the PAMM model.
Results
Most of the participants (>90%) rated their satisfaction with the interdisciplinary program as very high/high and the quality and relevance of the information they were provided as excellent/very good. The question whether patients’ knowledge and understanding of pain improved because of the sessions covered was answered with “completely”/“to a great degree” by 86% of the participants. None of the components of the training was perceived as not helpful/not relevant by the participants. Understanding what pain is and getting educated about pain, learning to pace oneself, the encouraging and comforting atmosphere in the group, and the gym sessions were experienced as most helpful by the patients. One patient emphasized that choosing the wording for sensitive topics is very important, for example in the context of introducing patients to the concept of “desensitization” to chronic pain. Patients listed various strategies, provided in the program, that they want to commit to do in future.
Conclusions
In summary, the interdisciplinary program was very well received by the patients. The information provided during the training was received as being of high quality as well as highly relevant. Patients recognized a positive impact of the knowledge provided on their pain management. Especially the combination of psychoeducation about pain, making patients experts of their pain, and combining the educational part with physical exercise seem to be for patients the most helpful components of the training. Critical voices from participants emphasize that it will be important for the future to form stakeholder groups and involve patients in the development and ongoing revision of this program. Finding the right wording that helps avoiding misunderstandings and stigmatization on patient side is a central point for the next attempt to optimize the training.
References
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Presenting Author
Maria Kleinstaeuber
Poster Authors
Topics
- Treatment/Management: Pharmacology: Psychological and Rehabilitative Therapies