Patient and Support Person Satisfaction Following a Whole Health-Informed Interdisciplinary Pain Team Meeting

Area of Science:

• Pain Management
• Integrative Health
• Veteran Healthcare

Background:

• Chronic pain affects approximately 65% of veterans.
• Whole health offers a proactive, patient-centered, team-based healthcare approach.
• This study examined patient and support person experiences with a whole health pain interdisciplinary team.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the patient and support person experience of simultaneous consultations with a whole health pain interdisciplinary team.
• To assess satisfaction with integrated pain care among veterans and their support persons.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods study was conducted at the Salem Veterans Affairs Healthcare System (SVAHCS).
• A program-specific survey collected self-reported satisfaction data from veterans and support persons.
• The interdisciplinary team included specialists in interventional pain, psychology, physical therapy, pharmacy, and nutrition.

Main Results:

• The survey included 144 veterans and 32 support persons.
• Twenty percent reported dissatisfaction with prior pain care.
• The mean overall satisfaction score was 9.2 out of 10, with all respondents recommending the experience.

Conclusions:

• Simultaneous meetings with an interdisciplinary pain team represent an efficient model for pain care.
• This integrated approach shows high patient satisfaction, particularly for rural veterans facing access challenges.
• Further research into simultaneous interdisciplinary pain team meetings is warranted.