Objective The purpose of this study was to describe the preoperative and postoperative experiences of spine surgery from the patient’s perspective to help inform behavioral health services provided before, during, and after hospitalization. Setting Single urban academic tertiary care hospital. Methods Semistructured interviews with 14 adults who underwent spine surgery. Interview transcriptions were analyzed using content analysis by three investigators to identify emergent themes. Results Three broad domains with associated themes emerged from the analysis: 1) preoperative experience—preparation, worries, and expectations; 2) recovery process—activity and pain management strategies; and 3) postoperative support in recovery—family and social support. Conclusions The results of this qualitative descriptive study can be used to guide future perioperative behavioral health services for patients undergoing spinal surgery. Establishing realistic expectations of spine surgery and a comprehensive pain management plan are essential for adequate preoperative preparation. Furthermore, family involvement in the preoperative preparation for surgery is important for support of the patient during the recovery process.

Individuals with chronic pain who live in rural communities often lack access to pain specialists and rely on primary care providers who may be less prepared. Research has indicated that rural residents with chronic pain are more likely to receive an opioid prescription than nonrural residents. Although self-management approaches are available for chronic pain management, it is unclear to what extent rural residents use these interventions. This study compares usage of self-management interventions and opioid-based analgesics for chronic pain management between rural and nonrural residents. This study is a secondary analysis of baseline data from a randomized controlled trial evaluating a telehealth intervention for chronic pain management. Participants, recruited from primary care clinics, were 65 rural residents and 144 nonrural residents with similar demographic characteristics. Differences in the use of self-management interventions, pain intensity, and opioid dose were evaluated between rural and nonrural residents. Rural residents (n = 50, 77%) were less likely to use self-management interventions compared with nonrural residents (n = 133, 92%) (p = .019). Opioids were taken for pain relief by 76% of the rural residents compared with 52% of the nonrural residents. A disparity exists in the use of self-management interventions for chronic pain management by rural residents compared with nonrural residents. Further study is needed to determine if this is related to the lack of access to specialists and/or pain management training of primary care providers. Nurses can play an essential role in addressing this disparity by educating patients about self-management interventions.

Purpose/Objectives To describe evidence-based practice (EBP) beliefs and behaviors of nurses who provide cancer pain management. Design Descriptive, cross-sectional with a mixed-methods approach. Setting Two inpatient oncology units in the Pacific Northwest. Sample 40 RNs. Methods Data collected by interviews and web-based surveys. Main Research Variables EBP beliefs, EBP implementation, evidence-based pain management. Findings Nurses agreed with the positive aspects of EBP and their implementation ability, although implementation level was low. They were satisfied with their pain management practices. Oncology nursing certification was associated with innovativeness, and innovativeness was associated with EBP beliefs. Themes identified were (a) limited definition of EBP, (b) varied evidence-based pain management decision making, (c) limited identification of evidence-based pain management practices, and (d) integration of nonpharmacologic interventions into patient care. Conclusions Nurses' low level of EBP implementation in the context of pain management was explained by their trust that standards of care and medical orders were evidence-based. Implications for Nursing Nurses' EBP beliefs and behaviors should be considered when developing strategies for sustaining evidence-based pain management practices. Implementation of the EBP process by nurses may not be realistic in the inpatient setting; therefore, hospital pain management policies need to be evidence-based and reinforced with nurses.

Managing chronic pain effectively is often challenging for health care providers and patients. Telehealth technologies can bridge geographic distance and improve patients' quality of care in communities where access to pain specialists has previously been unavailable. This paper describes the development and evaluation of a telehealth intervention (TelePain) designed to address the need for pain specialist consultation regarding pain and symptom management issues in non-academic medical centers. We describe the theoretical foundation and development of a multifaceted intervention using a cluster randomized clinical trial design. Health care providers and their patients with chronic pain are enrolled in the study. Patient participants receive the intervention (report of symptoms and receipt of a pain graph) weekly for 8 weeks and are contacted at 12 weeks for completion of post-intervention follow-up measures. Their providers attend Telepain sessions which involve a didactic presentation on an evidence-based topic related to pain management followed by patient case presentations and discussion by community clinicians. Symptom management recommendations for each patient case are made by a panel of pain specialists representing internal medicine, addiction medicine, rehabilitation medicine, anesthesiology, psychiatry, and nursing. The outcomes assessed in this randomized trial focus on pain intensity, pain's interference on function and sleep, and anxiety, depression, and cost-effectiveness. Some of the challenges and lessons that we have learned early in implementing the TelePain intervention are also reported.

Introduction Comprehensive pain management services are primarily located in urban areas, limiting specialist consultation opportunities for community healthcare providers. A community of practice (CoP) for pain management could create opportunities for consultation by establishing professional relationships between community healthcare providers and pain management specialists. A CoP is a group of people with a common concern, set of problems, or a passion for something they do. Members of a CoP for pain management increase their knowledge of evidence-based pain management strategies in a way that is meaningful and relevant. In this article, we provide evidence that TelePain, an interdisciplinary, case-based pain management teleconference consultation program through the University of Washington, qualifies as a CoP and present preliminary evidence of TelePain's effectiveness as a CoP for pain management. Methods Specific behaviors and conversations gathered through participant observation during TelePain sessions were analyzed based on the 14 indicators Wegner developed to evaluate the presence of a CoP. To demonstrate preliminary effectiveness of TelePain as a CoP for pain management, descriptive statistics were used to summarize TelePain evaluation forms. Results TelePain is an example of a successful CoP for pain management as demonstrated by the presence of Wegner's 14 indicators. Additionally, evaluation forms showed that TelePain enhanced community healthcare providers' knowledge of pain management strategies and that continued participation in TelePain lead to community healthcare providers' increased confidence in their ability to provide pain management. Conclusion TelePain, a CoP for pain management, facilitates multidisciplinary collaboration and allows members to develop interdisciplinary care plans for complex pain patients through case study discussions. Evidence-based pain management strategies gained through CoP membership could be disseminated to other healthcare providers in members' clinics, which has the potential of improving the care of chronic pain patients.