Patients’ experiences of occupational therapy within a multidisciplinary pain management programme: A qualitative study

Abstract

Background Occupational problems are common for adults experiencing chronic pain, but occupational therapists are not always accessed as part of the multidisciplinary team. Despite evidence of benefit for work-focused interventions, there is limited evidence for broader benefit from occupational therapy interventions within the context of multidisciplinary pain management. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of programme attendees who received structured intervention from an occupational therapist as part of a multidisciplinary pain management programme, and gain an understanding as to how they felt it influenced changes they made to occupational participation. Method A qualitative approach was undertaken with 9 individual patients recruited from a group pain management programme for adults with chronic low back pain. Semi-structured interviews were carried out, recorded and transcribed. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes in the data. Results Three key themes were identified: 1) the helpfulness of activity pacing techniques 2) the value of participating in a therapeutic activity-based session and 3) an increased understanding of the importance of leisure and creative activities in the context of their lives. Conclusion Participants perceived the specific occupational therapy content of the programme to be helpful in a number of different ways. The findings suggest that occupational therapy can be important in facilitating patients to apply theoretical techniques in the real world, thereby increasing the likelihood of long term benefit.