Chronic back pain is common, and its self‐management may be a lifelong task for many patients. While health professionals can provide a service or support for pain, only patients can actually experience it. It is likely that optimum self‐management of chronic back pain may only be achieved when patients and professionals develop effective partnerships which integrate their complementary knowledge and skills. However, at present, there is no evidence to explain how such partnerships can influence patients' self‐management ability. This review aimed to explore the influence of patient–professional partnerships on patients' ability to self‐manage chronic back pain, and to identify key factors within these partnerships that may influence self‐management. A systematic review was undertaken, aiming to retrieve relevant studies using any research method. Five databases were searched for papers published between 1980 and 2014, including Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Medline, EMBASE and PsycINFO. Eligible studies were those reporting on patients being supported by professionals to self‐manage chronic back pain; patients being actively involved for self‐managing chronic back pain; and the influence of patient–professional partnerships on self‐management of chronic back pain. Included studies were critically appraised for quality, and findings were extracted and analysed thematically. A total of 738 studies were screened, producing 10 studies for inclusion, all of which happened to use qualitative methods. Seven themes were identified: communication, mutual understanding, roles of health professionals, information delivery, patients' involvement, individualised care and healthcare service. These themes were developed into a model suggesting how factors within patient–professional partnerships influence self‐management. Review findings suggest that a partnership between patients and professionals supports patients' self‐management ability, and effective communication is a fundamental factor underpinning their partnerships in care. It also calls for the development of individualised healthcare services offering self‐referral or telephone consultation to patients with chronic conditions.

ObjectivesTo identify barriers to effective pain management encountered by patients with chronic pain within the UK’s National Health Service (NHS).DesignSecondary analysis of face-to-face, semistructured qualitative interviews using thematic analysis.SettingA community-based chronic pain clinic jointly managed by a nurse and pharmacist located in the North of England.ParticipantsNineteen adult (>18 years) patients with chronic pain discharged from a pain clinic, with the ability to understand and speak the English language.ResultsIn general, patients were highly disappointed with the quality of pain management services provided both within primary and secondary care, and consequently were willing to seek private medical care. Barriers to effective pain management were divided into two main themes: healthcare professional-related and health systems-related. Three subthemes emerged under healthcare professionals-related barriers, namely (1) healthcare professionals’ lack of interest and empathy, (2) general practitioners’ (GP) lack of specialised knowledge in pain management and (3) lack of communication between healthcare professionals. Three subthemes emerged under health system-related barriers: (1) long waiting time for appointments in secondary care, (2) short consultation times with GPs and (3) lack of an integrated multidisciplinary approach.ConclusionsThe patients expressed a clear desire for the improved provision and quality of chronic pain management services within the NHS to overcome barriers identified in this study. An integrated holistic approach based on a biopsychosocial model is required to effectively manage pain and improve patient satisfaction. Future research should explore the feasibility, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of integrated care delivery models for chronic pain management within primary care.

Background: Chronic pain is predominantly managed in primary care, although often ineffectively. There is growing evidence to support the potential role of nurses and pharmacists in the effective management of chronic pain.Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a pain clinic jointly managed by a nurse and pharmacist.Design: A mixed-methods design consisting of qualitative interviews embedded within a quasi-experimental study. Settings:A community-based nurse-pharmacist led pain clinic in the north of England.Participants: Adult chronic pain (non-malignant) patients referred to the pain clinic. Methods:Pain intensity was the primary outcome. Questionnaires (The Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HADS), the SF-36 and the Chronic Pain Grade (CPG) questionnaire) were administered at the baseline, on discharge and at 3-months post discharge (BPI and HADS only). Patient satisfaction was explored using face-to-face, semi-structured qualitative interviews.Results: Seventy nine patients with a mean age of 46.5 years (SD ±14.4) took part in the quasi-experimental study. Thirty-six and nine patients completed the discharge and 3-month follow-up questionnaires respectively. Compared to baseline, statistically significant reductions were noted for two of the outcome measures: pain intensity (P=0.02), and interference of pain with physical functioning (P=0.02) on discharge from 2 the service. Nineteen patients participated in qualitative interviews. The patients were, in general, satisfied with the quality of service. Four contributing factors to patient satisfaction were identified: ample consultation time; in-depth specialised knowledge; listening and understanding to patients' needs; and a holistic approach. Conclusion:Nurse and pharmacist managed community-based pain clinics can effectively deliver quality pain management services as they offer an interdisciplinary holistic approach to pain management. Such services have the potential not only to reduce the burden on secondary care but also decrease long waiting times for referral to secondary care. Further research is required to support the development of evidence based referral guidelines to such services.

Supporting patients in forming partnerships with health professionals is the key of effective self-management. This study aimed to explore the nature of patient-professional partnerships and its related factors that create facilitators and barriers to patients' self-management ability. A constructivist grounded theory approach was undertaken. Three main themes emerged: interaction and communication, integrated care, and service and system. A theoretical model was generated that posits effective communication, individualized integrated care, and high-quality service as key influences on the successful development of patient-professional partnerships and patients' ability to self-manage. Giving attention to these factors helps understand the development, implementation, mechanisms, and evaluation of building a patient-professional partnership and maximizes the opportunities for patient self-management of chronic pain. Future research and practice are needed to move beyond a simplistic focus on health outcomes to address the complex links between partnerships and treatment delivery processes, and interventions, effects, and patients' context.

This study identified and validated strong associations between patient-professional partnerships and self-management. Support for self-management alone may not be sufficient, and building partnerships where patients and professionals work together towards agreed goals make an essential contribution to helping increase patients' ability to self-manage chronic back pain.