Primary care experiences of people who live with chronic pain and receive opioids to manage pain: A qualitative methodology.

Abstract

The prevalence of chronic pain continues to rise and the majority of patients with chronic pain are managed in primary care. The purpose of this research was to provide the perspectives of patients who live with chronic pain and receive opioids to help manage their pain from primary care. In this qualitative study, 12 participants from a Midwest primary care clinic described their primary care experiences with receiving opioids for chronic pain. Thematic and interpretive analyses were used to understand the issues. Participants receiving opioids for pain management through primary care feared losing access to opioids, wanted to protect sobriety when they had histories of substance use disorder, experienced stress at their jobs with frequent appointments, identified inconsistencies in health care prolonging their suffering and increasing substance misuse, and identified improvement in coping with pain when they had confidence in healthcare providers. Providing patient-centered care while managing patients with pain and unknown risk for prescription opioid misuse is possible. Understanding influences that create prescription opioid risk for misuse can help nurse practitioners improve their delivery of care by providing consistent and convenient healthcare encounters, and help patients protect themselves from risk of prescription opioid misuse.