What is the Experience of Receiving Health Care for Neck Pain?

Abstract

This study used a descriptive phenomenological approach to describe the experience of finding and receiving health services for neck pain. Nineteen participants (18 females, 1 male) with neck pain (>3 months) were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire guide. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and coded. Two overarching themes described the experience: complexity in finding effective health care; and the need for informative, personalized, respectful communication. Complexity in finding effective health care was attributed to the variable approach and effectiveness of different health professionals, the need to experiment with care to find what works, the need to differentiate temporary versus permanent treatment effects, concerns about treatment side effects and the sense that financial factors influence personal treatment choices and provider behaviours. The need for informative, personalized, respectful communications was broken down into the following subthemes: the importance of being listened to, seen and believed; the need for useful information; and a desire to have outcomes formally tracked as a means of individualizing treatment. Overall, patients struggled to navigate the variable health services and providers that were available and that provided variable outcomes. They often did so through a trial and error approach. As such, patients remain open to unproven, even controversial treatment options. Research evidence was not a key ingredient in patient decision-making about accessing health services. The environmental, personal, health behavior factors interacted to contribute to health service utilization and would increase the burden of these for both the individual and society at large. The effectiveness of neck pain interventions is dependent on complex interactions between the context, individual, and health care provider, therefore, physiological responses cannot be considered as being distinct from these determinants.

Exploring Patient Satisfaction: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial of Spinal Manipulation, Home Exercise, and Medication for Acute and Subacute Neck Pain

“…Systematic reviews and recent qualitative work have found that patients with spinal pain appreciate information regarding the cause of their symptoms and ways to manage their condition; further, they are frustrated by the lack of such information in clinical encounters. 19,20 The results of our secondary analyses suggest HEA as an intervention might offer an advantage in meeting these types of informational needs for acute neck pain patients and should be considered more frequently in clinical practice and future research. We also found acute neck pain patients’ global satisfaction to be largely explained by general care and information related factors (e.g., 60% of the variance) but not entirely.…”

Pharmacological Interventions Including Medical Injections for Neck Pain: An Overview as Part of the ICON Project

“…Given that neck pain is common, potentially disabling and costly to society, and that benefit-risk may well vary by condition, high quality studies are still needed to understand the benefits and risks in the neck pain population. Our qualitative research suggests that the side effects associated with medication use can be very concerning for patients and patients may discontinue medications related to these concerns [101]. Specifically patient's worried about how medications would interfere with their ability to participate in normal life roles [101].…”

“…Our qualitative research suggests that the side effects associated with medication use can be very concerning for patients and patients may discontinue medications related to these concerns [101]. Specifically patient's worried about how medications would interfere with their ability to participate in normal life roles [101]. Further, patients in our qualitative study indicated that they prefer that physicians present all treatment options and not confine their recommendations to prescriptions of medications alone [101].…”

“…Specifically patient's worried about how medications would interfere with their ability to participate in normal life roles [101]. Further, patients in our qualitative study indicated that they prefer that physicians present all treatment options and not confine their recommendations to prescriptions of medications alone [101]. …”

Knowledge Translation Tools are Emerging to Move Neck Pain Research into Practice

“…Nevertheless, it is critical that KT be pursued, if the potential benefit of new evidence-based interventions is to be manifested as improved clinical outcomes. This is particularly important with respect to neck pain given that suboptimal outcomes have been documented both in terms of quantitative outcomes and qualitative studies that demonstrate patient dissatisfaction with the current delivery of care for their neck pain [75]. …”