Occupational therapy contribution to the management of chronic pain in primary care: a qualitative descriptive study

People living with chronic pain (CP) face many daily challenges. Although occupational therapists (OTs) have the expertise to help these individuals regain a meaningful life, their services are not widely available in primary care settings. This study aimed to identify the needs of people with CP who seek primary care and to propose OT interventions in this context.

A qualitative descriptive study was conducted. Twenty-three semi-structured interviews were carried out with OTs (n = 5), nurses (n = 4), physicians (n = 4), and individuals with CP (n = 10) regarding CP needs and OT practice in primary care teams. After the interviews, mixed thematic analysis was conducted using an iterative approach. McColl and Law's classification of occupational therapy interventions was used to organize the results.

Fourteen needs were identified by people with CP when seeking primary care: four were related to service organization (accessibility, comprehensiveness, multidisciplinary care, and support for navigating the system), four were related to the therapeutic relationship (recognition of experience, support, active listening, and partnership), and six were related to pain management (occupational participation, education, medication management, pain relief, psychological support, and group participation). Regarding occupational therapy, nine occupational therapy interventions were identified: four were oriented toward the person (physical training, self-management and posture skills development, and education), four were oriented toward the environment (environmental modifications, service orientation, and psychological and emotional support), and one was oriented toward the occupation (support to perform various occupations).

This study presents multiple specific primary care needs of people with CP and highlights how these needs closely align with the scope of occupational therapy practice. The study findings contribute to knowledge about occupational therapy clinical pain management activities in the context of primary care.