Managing everyday life with chronic pain and interaction with healthcare: a qualitative study

Background: Chronic pain is a costly, widespread condition that often reduces the quality of life of individuals who suffer from it, for whom healthcare interaction is seldom efficient or free of problems. Outcomes of coping with chronic pain can depend upon patients’ approaches towards their pain, their defensive or offensive behaviours and their choices based upon their self-efficacy. Thus, even when their symptoms and diseases seem homogeneous, patients should be regarded as multidimensional individuals and their care plans should be individually tailored. The aim of our study was to examine how individuals with chronic pain manage their everyday lives and, from their perspectives, how primary care organisations should support them. Method: We conducted qualitative content analysis on the written narratives of 21 patients with chronic pain and held a focus group discussion with 15 of them. Results: : The overarching theme in the patients’ narratives was that individuals with chronic pain develop adaptability in managing their everyday lives. Therein, the first sub-theme captures how such individuals use their bodies and souls to condition themselves and adapt to the people around them, take control of their everyday lives and find empowerment, whereas the second sub-theme captures how they interact with primary care organisations, their experiences with such interaction and the need to be treated with respect. Conclusions: : For patients living with chronic pain, managing everyday life, the accompanying challenges and ongoing interactions with healthcare organisations requires developing adaptability. Although the individuals indeed bear great responsibility for their own health and wellbeing, healthcare personnel can ease that burden by adopting person-centred approaches in their care. However, to that end, healthcare personnel need more knowledge about supporting individuals living with chronic pain in order to ease their suffering.