Patients' Experiences Participating Within an Interdisciplinary Primary Care Program for Low Back Pain

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Pain Management

Background:

• Interdisciplinary team-based care is recommended for low back pain (LBP) management.
• Challenges exist in implementing interdisciplinary care in community primary care settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore patient experiences with interdisciplinary care for LBP.
• To understand patient perspectives on recovery within an interdisciplinary program.

Main Methods:

• Applied phenomenological research approach.
• Semistructured, open-ended interviews with 15 adult LBP patients.
• Analysis of themes including initial challenges, flexibility, collaboration, and recovery.

Main Results:

• Patients described a "challenging start" but appreciated "better collaboration" and care responsive to their needs.
• Themes included a desire for flexibility and improved understanding of their pain.
• Recovery was defined by participants as the ability to "function."

Conclusions:

• Patient experiences highlight the importance of patient-centered approaches in interdisciplinary LBP care.
• Findings offer insights for optimizing interdisciplinary programs for chronic pain management.
• Successful interdisciplinary care for LBP is viewed by patients as a pathway to functional recovery.