Brief multidisciplinary intervention for chronic pain management: pilot feasibility study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Chronic pain has a negative impact on the quality of life of individuals and requires multidisciplinary attention. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of a brief multidisciplinary intervention for the management of chronic pain. METHODS: A pilot feasibility study. The participants were individuals with chronic pain. The intervention had a psychoeducational focus and was carried out in a group for six weeks, with a two-hour weekly meeting. Participants received education on pain management, practiced stretching and relaxation techniques. The intervention was applied by two nurses, a psychologist and a physical therapist. The specific objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of the intervention through indicators of acceptability and feasibility. RESULTS: Forty-eight people with chronic pain eligible to participate in the study were identified. Among the acceptability indicators, the acceptance rate to participate in the intervention was 52% and the retention rate among participants was 60%. The rate of adherence to the recommendations was moderate for walking (53.3%) and satisfactory for stretching (100%) and relaxation (73.3%). As for the feasibility indicators, the following aspects were considered “great”: access to the intervention site (83.3%), the intervention room (66.6%), the intervention content (86.6%) and the number of sessions (46.6%). All participants (100%) suggested increasing the number of sessions. CONCLUSION: The brief multidisciplinary intervention for chronic pain management was considered feasible and should be tested and implemented in primary care services and outpatient services specialized in pain management.