A Shared Medical Appointment on the Benefits and Risks of Opioids Is Associated With Improved Patient Confidence in Managing Chronic Pain
Objectives: To evaluate a shared medical appointment (SMA) on opioids in the treatment of chronic pain. Research design: This prospective study was conducted at an ambulatory clinic within a health-care delivery system. The SMA is a single 90-minute encounter, led by a physician. We included adult p...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SAGE Publishing
2017-09-01
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| Series: | Journal of Patient Experience |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/2374373517706837 |
| Summary: | Objectives: To evaluate a shared medical appointment (SMA) on opioids in the treatment of chronic pain. Research design: This prospective study was conducted at an ambulatory clinic within a health-care delivery system. The SMA is a single 90-minute encounter, led by a physician. We included adult patients who attended the SMA and completed an immediate pre–post survey. Survey items were measured on a scale from 0 (worst) to 5 (best). Mean differences in pre–post responses were assessed by a paired t test. Results: A total of 130 patients were included in the analysis. Patients showed improvements in confidence in self-managing pain (+0.44; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.29-0.59; P < .001) and their providers’ ability to help manage pain (+0.28; 95% CI: 0.14-0.43; P < .001). Most patients (81%) were very/extremely satisfied with the SMA. Conclusions: An SMA on the benefits and risks of opioids was associated with prompt improvements in patients’ confidence in self-managing pain and in their health-care providers’ ability to help manage pain. Such confidence can lay the foundation for increased patient engagement and activation in pain management. |
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| ISSN: | 2374-3743 2374-3735 |