A shared medical appointment on the benefits and risks of opioids is associated with improved patient confidence in managing chronic pain.

Romanelli RJ, Dolginsky M, Byakina Y, Bronstein D, Wilson S., J Patient Exper 2017 May 8:1-8. doi: 10.1177/2374373517706837., 2017 May 08

Abstract

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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