The journal of alternative and complementary medicine : research on paradigm, practice, and policy
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J Altern Complement Med · Jul 2019
Vulnerable Patients' Psychosocial Experiences in a Group-Based, Integrative Pain Management Program.
Objectives: To use a psychosocial framework to examine the pain experiences of low-income, ethnically diverse patients before and after an Integrative Pain Management Program (IPMP). Design and methods: IPMP is a 12-week, multimodal pain group incorporating mindfulness, acupuncture, massage, education, movement, and health coaching. The authors conducted semistructured interviews at the beginning, end, and 3 months following completion of IPMP. Interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed and analyzed using inductive coding methods. Setting: A primary care clinic in San Francisco, CA, serving low-income, ethnically diverse patients, many of whom are marginally housed and living with disabilities. Subjects: Forty-one patients with a diagnosis of chronic pain, currently receiving prescription opioids and referred by their primary care provider, who participated in IPMP. Results: Authors thematically analyzed 104 individual interviews with 41 IPMP participants, including 41 baseline, 35 three-month follow-up, and 28 six-month follow-up. ⋯ Following IPMP, patients reported using new strategies to manage pain, including lowering medication use, resulting in an emerging sense of psychologic resilience, and more social connections. Conclusions: IPMP offers an accessible model for addressing psychosocial aspects of chronic pain. Vulnerable patients engaged with integrative medicine groups and developed new perspectives and tools for managing their pain; they emerged feeling hopeful and resilient. These results support the use of integrative medicine groups for targeting psychosocial aspects of chronic pain within primary care.
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J Altern Complement Med · Jul 2019
Observational StudyFeasibility and Acceptability of Mindfulness-Based Group Visits for Smoking Cessation in Low-Socioeconomic Status and Minority Smokers with Cancer.
Objective: Smoking cessation studies tailored for low-income and racial/ethnic minority cancer patients are limited. African American and low-socioeconomic status (SES) smokers have higher cancer mortality rates and are less likely to use evidence-based smoking cessation treatments compared with white and higher SES counterparts. Mindfulness training is a promising approach to address racial and SES disparities in smoking cessation. ⋯ There was a significant decrease in weekly cigarette intake from 75.1 cigarettes at baseline to 44.3 at 3 months (p = 0.039). None of the participants quit smoking. Participants were satisfied with the program and reported positive lifestyle changes. Conclusion: MBSC group visits are feasible and acceptable among racially diverse and low-SES smokers with cancer and should be further studied in a larger cohort.