• Pain Med · Sep 2018

    The Integrated Pain Team: A Mixed-Methods Evaluation of the Impact of an Embedded Interdisciplinary Pain Care Intervention on Primary Care Team Satisfaction, Confidence, and Perceptions of Care Effectiveness.

    • Natalie Purcell, Kara Zamora, Jenny Tighe, Yongmei Li, Mathew Douraghi, and Karen Seal.
    • San Francisco Veterans Affairs Health Care System, San Francisco, California.
    • Pain Med. 2018 Sep 1; 19 (9): 1748-1763.

    ObjectiveTo evaluate the impact of the Integrated Pain Team (IPT)-an interdisciplinary chronic pain care intervention embedded in primary care at a large Veterans Affairs health care system. Outcomes evaluated included IPT's impact on the perceived effectiveness of chronic pain care; provider self-confidence; and primary care team satisfaction, stress, and burnout.MethodThis mixed-methods quality-improvement study employed: 1) qualitative semistructured interviews of 61 primary care providers, other primary care team members, and organizational stakeholders; and 2) a supplementary quantitative survey of 65 providers, comparing those who had referred patients to IPT with those who had not.ResultsMost interview participants reported that IPT improved chronic pain care by providing patients with a comprehensive pain treatment plan, educating them about opioid risks, and introducing multimodal treatment options. Interviewed care team members reported improved patient education and fewer emotionally charged contacts from patients. Interviewed providers felt that IPT allowed them to focus their time on health concerns other than pain. However, our supplemental survey found that IPT-utilizing providers were no more confident than other providers in their own pain care skills or in their relationships with chronic pain patients.ConclusionsIntegrating an interdisciplinary chronic pain care intervention into primary care can provide needed support to care teams and may improve chronic pain care. Elements of the IPT model identified as important to its effectiveness include its interdisciplinary biopsychosocial approach and attentive patient follow-up. However, enhancing providers' confidence and self-efficacy in chronic pain care may require educational and support resources beyond the current IPT model.

      Pubmed     Full text   Copy Citation     Plaintext  

      Add institutional full text...

    Notes

     
    Knowledge, pearl, summary or comment to share?
    300 characters remaining
    help        

    hide…