Co-Designing a Digital Brief Intervention to Reduce the Risk of Prescription Opioid–Related Harm Among People With Chronic Noncancer Pain: Qualitative Analysis of Patient Lived Experiences
BackgroundOpioid medications are important for pain management, but many patients progress to unsafe medication use. With few personalized and accessible behavioral treatment options to reduce potential opioid-related harm, new and innovative patient-centered approaches are u...
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| Format: | Article |
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JMIR Publications
2025-01-01
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| Series: | JMIR Formative Research |
| Online Access: | https://formative.jmir.org/2025/1/e57208 |
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| author | Rachel A Elphinston Sue Pager Kelly Brown Michele Sterling Farhad Fatehi Paul Gray Linda Hipper Lauren Cahill Jason P. Connor |
| author_facet | Rachel A Elphinston Sue Pager Kelly Brown Michele Sterling Farhad Fatehi Paul Gray Linda Hipper Lauren Cahill Jason P. Connor |
| author_sort | Rachel A Elphinston |
| collection | DOAJ |
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BackgroundOpioid medications are important for pain management, but many patients progress to unsafe medication use. With few personalized and accessible behavioral treatment options to reduce potential opioid-related harm, new and innovative patient-centered approaches are urgently needed to fill this gap.
ObjectiveThis study involved the first phase of co-designing a digital brief intervention to reduce the risk of opioid-related harm by investigating the lived experience of chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) in treatment-seeking patients, with a particular focus on opioid therapy experiences.
MethodsEligible patients were those aged between 18 and 70 years with CNCP at a clinically significant level of intensity (a score of ≥4 of 10). Purposive sampling was used to engage patients on public hospital waitlists via mail or through the treating medical specialist. Participants (N=18; n=10 women; mean age 49.5 years, SD 11.50) completed semistructured telephone interviews. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, thematically analyzed using grounded theory, and member checked by patients.
ResultsEight overarching themes were found, listed in the order of their prominence from most to least prominent: limited treatment collaboration and partnership; limited biopsychosocial understanding of pain; continued opioid use when benefits do not outweigh harms; a trial-and-error approach to opioid use; cycles of hopefulness and hopelessness; diagnostic uncertainty; significant negative impacts tied to loss; and complexity of pain and opioid use journeys.
ConclusionsThe findings of this study advance progress in co-designing digital brief interventions by actively engaging patient partners in their lived experiences of chronic pain and use of prescription opioid medications. The key recommendations proposed should guide the development of personalized solutions to address the complex care needs of patients with CNCP. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-92a8a262f55d4d23ac9fe6772dd6842e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2561-326X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | JMIR Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | JMIR Formative Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-92a8a262f55d4d23ac9fe6772dd6842e2025-01-30T17:30:29ZengJMIR PublicationsJMIR Formative Research2561-326X2025-01-019e5720810.2196/57208Co-Designing a Digital Brief Intervention to Reduce the Risk of Prescription Opioid–Related Harm Among People With Chronic Noncancer Pain: Qualitative Analysis of Patient Lived ExperiencesRachel A Elphinstonhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-3704-0052Sue Pagerhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-3961-7633Kelly Brownhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-5138-9165Michele Sterlinghttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-1772-2248Farhad Fatehihttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-9888-1966Paul Grayhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-1369-1483Linda Hipperhttps://orcid.org/0009-0004-8808-1569Lauren Cahillhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-1454-5744Jason P. Connorhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-7020-1196 BackgroundOpioid medications are important for pain management, but many patients progress to unsafe medication use. With few personalized and accessible behavioral treatment options to reduce potential opioid-related harm, new and innovative patient-centered approaches are urgently needed to fill this gap. ObjectiveThis study involved the first phase of co-designing a digital brief intervention to reduce the risk of opioid-related harm by investigating the lived experience of chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) in treatment-seeking patients, with a particular focus on opioid therapy experiences. MethodsEligible patients were those aged between 18 and 70 years with CNCP at a clinically significant level of intensity (a score of ≥4 of 10). Purposive sampling was used to engage patients on public hospital waitlists via mail or through the treating medical specialist. Participants (N=18; n=10 women; mean age 49.5 years, SD 11.50) completed semistructured telephone interviews. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, thematically analyzed using grounded theory, and member checked by patients. ResultsEight overarching themes were found, listed in the order of their prominence from most to least prominent: limited treatment collaboration and partnership; limited biopsychosocial understanding of pain; continued opioid use when benefits do not outweigh harms; a trial-and-error approach to opioid use; cycles of hopefulness and hopelessness; diagnostic uncertainty; significant negative impacts tied to loss; and complexity of pain and opioid use journeys. ConclusionsThe findings of this study advance progress in co-designing digital brief interventions by actively engaging patient partners in their lived experiences of chronic pain and use of prescription opioid medications. The key recommendations proposed should guide the development of personalized solutions to address the complex care needs of patients with CNCP.https://formative.jmir.org/2025/1/e57208 |
| spellingShingle | Rachel A Elphinston Sue Pager Kelly Brown Michele Sterling Farhad Fatehi Paul Gray Linda Hipper Lauren Cahill Jason P. Connor Co-Designing a Digital Brief Intervention to Reduce the Risk of Prescription Opioid–Related Harm Among People With Chronic Noncancer Pain: Qualitative Analysis of Patient Lived Experiences JMIR Formative Research |
| title | Co-Designing a Digital Brief Intervention to Reduce the Risk of Prescription Opioid–Related Harm Among People With Chronic Noncancer Pain: Qualitative Analysis of Patient Lived Experiences |
| title_full | Co-Designing a Digital Brief Intervention to Reduce the Risk of Prescription Opioid–Related Harm Among People With Chronic Noncancer Pain: Qualitative Analysis of Patient Lived Experiences |
| title_fullStr | Co-Designing a Digital Brief Intervention to Reduce the Risk of Prescription Opioid–Related Harm Among People With Chronic Noncancer Pain: Qualitative Analysis of Patient Lived Experiences |
| title_full_unstemmed | Co-Designing a Digital Brief Intervention to Reduce the Risk of Prescription Opioid–Related Harm Among People With Chronic Noncancer Pain: Qualitative Analysis of Patient Lived Experiences |
| title_short | Co-Designing a Digital Brief Intervention to Reduce the Risk of Prescription Opioid–Related Harm Among People With Chronic Noncancer Pain: Qualitative Analysis of Patient Lived Experiences |
| title_sort | co designing a digital brief intervention to reduce the risk of prescription opioid related harm among people with chronic noncancer pain qualitative analysis of patient lived experiences |
| url | https://formative.jmir.org/2025/1/e57208 |
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