Self‐management support for chronic pain in primary care: a cross‐sectional study of patient experiences and nursing roles

Abstract Aims The aim of this study was to describe chronic pain self‐management from the perspective of individuals living with chronic pain in the context of primary care nursing. Background Self‐management is a key chronic pain treatment modality and support for self‐managing chronic pain is mainly provided in the context of primary care. Although nurses are optimally suited to facilitate self‐management in primary care, there is a need to explore opportunities for optimizing their roles. Design Two cross‐sectional studies. Methods The Chronic Pain Self‐Management Survey was conducted in 2011–2012 to explore the epidemiology and self‐management of chronic pain in Canadian adults. The questionnaire was distributed to 1504 individuals in Ontario. In 2011, the Primary Care Nursing Roles Survey was distributed to 1911 primary care nurses in Ontario to explore their roles and to determine the extent to which chronic disease management strategies, including support for self‐management, were implemented in primary care. Results Few respondents to the pain survey identified nurses as being the ‘most helpful’ facilitator of self‐management while physicians were most commonly cited. Seventy‐six per cent of respondents used medication to manage their chronic pain. Few respondents to the nursing survey worked in practices with specific programmes for individuals with chronic pain. Individuals with chronic pain identified barriers and facilitators to self‐managing their pain and nurses identified barriers and facilitators to optimizing their role in primary care. Conclusion There are several opportunities for primary care practices to facilitate self‐management of chronic pain, including the optimization of the primary care nursing role.