Setting up a pain management programme. The Ayrshire experience.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Pain Management
• Clinical Trials

Background:

• Chronic non-cancer pain affects millions globally, leading to reduced quality of life.
• Existing treatments often have limitations in managing long-term pain and associated psychological distress.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of an outpatient cognitive behavioural pain management programme for chronic non-cancer pain.
• To assess improvements in pain severity, activity levels, mood, coping strategies, and pain-related beliefs.

Main Methods:

• A controlled trial involving a multidisciplinary team delivering a 10-session group programme.
• Utilized self-report questionnaires for data collection at baseline, 6 weeks, 6 months, and 1 year post-programme.
• Included a waiting list control group for comparison.

Main Results:

• The study group showed significant short- and long-term improvements in pain severity, activity levels, mood, and coping.
• Patients in the intervention group experienced fewer catastrophizing thoughts compared to controls.
• No significant changes were observed in the waiting list control group.

Conclusions:

• Outpatient cognitive behavioural pain management is an effective intervention for chronic non-cancer pain.
• The programme leads to sustained improvements in multiple domains of patient functioning and well-being.
• Cognitive and behavioural strategies are key to maintaining treatment gains in chronic pain management.