Abstract:
BACKGROUND : Pain is the most common reason for medical visits to primary health care
practitioners. Pain self-management interventions are encouraged and there is no known
self-management intervention framework available that clinicians and people with spinal
cord injury (PWSCI) can use to guide treatment selection.
AIM : This study aimed to develop a pain self-management intervention framework for PWSCI.
SETTING : Online and facilitated in Gauteng, South Africa.
METHODS : A three-round modified e-Delphi method was used to reach an 80% consensus
among a 21-expert panel. Fifty-nine interventions were distributed via REDCap and a final
online audio meeting was held to either include or exclude interventions in the final framework.
SPSS v27 was used to analyse descriptive data and content analysis was used for qualitative
responses.
RESULTS : The final developed pain self-management framework consists of 56 interventions
and includes interventions from multiple health professions to encompass medical,
psychological, therapeutic and social interventions. Interventions are also specified for
nociceptive and/or neuropathic pain and grouped according to the biopsychosocial model.
CONCLUSION : The interprofessional framework may be used as a guideline for PWSCI to
alleviate pain, as well as assist health professionals in clinical decision-making, by providing
them with the freedom to choose acceptable and adequate interventions that may be
appropriate to treat the affected individual’s pain.
CONTRIBUTION : Pain management is a basic need at the primary healthcare level and PWSCI
need access to the broad range of interventions available to manage their pain. The framework
highlights the variety of appropriate interventions to guide both health professionals and
PWSCI with pain relief options.
