Reduced individual treatment delivery has no effect on outcomes in a multidisciplinary pain management program

Objective There is little information on how multidisciplinary pain management programs (MPMPs), the gold-standard treatment for people with chronic non-cancer pain, should be structured or delivered. This study compared outcomes from a 3-week in-patient MPMP between those who attended a group-based program that included 8 h of individual therapy each week and those who attended when the amount of individual therapy had been halved. Methods Participants were patients attending an MPMP with a large component of individual sessions (n  = 112; Standard) and patients attending the same MPMP after it switched to predominantly group-based sessions (n  = 117; Revised). The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Queen Elizabeth (QE) Health Scale were administered to participants at baseline and discharge. Regression analysis was used to compare outcomes between the two delivery formats. Results There were no significant differences in any outcome measures between the two delivery formats overall. The QE Health Scale (P  < 0.001) and HADS depression (P  < 0.05) scores were significantly better for patients with rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis who had undertaken the Revised program compared with the Standard program. Conclusions This study provides support that changing the amount of individual therapy within in-patient MPMPs does not change patient outcomes. However, there is evidence that those with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis respond better to a more group-based approach, suggesting that different populations may be suited to different delivery formats. What is known about the topic? Studies have shown mixed results as to whether group- or individual-based rehabilitation programs are more effective. Previous systematic reviews on physiotherapy- or psychological-based interventions have concluded that individual and group approaches are generally equivalent in terms of patient outcomes. MPMPs are trending towards more group-based delivery of content; however, it is unknown whether the equivalence of efficacy between group and individual formats extends to a chronic pain population receiving multidisciplinary care. What does this paper add? This research specifically adds to the knowledge that almost exclusive group delivery of therapy is just as effective as a program with more individual components in a population of patients participating in an MPMP. There is some evidence that those with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis in the almost exclusive group delivery program had better outcomes than those in the program with more individual components, indicating that specific conditions may benefit more from a group approach. What are the implications for practitioners? Practitioners can be confident that group delivery is just as effective as individual delivery of program components in an MPMP. Thus, decisions regarding the delivery format can be based on factors such as practical considerations, cost or patient and clinician preference.