• Natalie Purcell, Kara Zamora, Carolyn Gibson, Jennifer Tighe, Jamie Chang, Joseph Grasso, and Karen H Seal.
• San Francisco VA Health Care System, San Francisco, California.
• Glob Adv Health Med. 2019 Jan 1; 8: 2164956119838845.

BackgroundMounting concern about the risks and limited effectiveness of opioid therapy for chronic pain has spurred the implementation of novel integrated biopsychosocial pain care models in health-care systems like the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). However, little is known about patient experiences with these new care models.ObjectiveWe conducted a qualitative study to examine patient experiences with a pain care model currently being disseminated at the VA: interdisciplinary, integrated pain teams (IPTs) embedded in primary care.MethodWe interviewed 41 veterans who received care from VA's first IPT to learn how working with the team impacted their pain care and quality of life. We asked about their overall experience with IPT, what worked and did not work for them, and what changes they would recommend to improve IPT care.ResultsThe interviews revealed a wide spectrum of patient experiences and varying perspectives on the extent to which the new model improved their pain and quality of life. Thematic analysis shed light on factors impacting patients' experiences, including pretreatment goals and expectations as well as attitudes toward opioids and nonpharmacological treatments.ConclusionWe discuss the implications of our findings for national efforts to implement biopsychosocial pain care, and we offer recommendations to promote patient-centered implementation.

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