Hansford Kirralise, Crossland Anna E, Baker Daniel, Preston Catherine, McKenzie Kirsten J
University of York, York, UK
University of York, York, UK.
BMJ Open. 2024 Dec 22;14(12):e089676. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-089676.
Chronic pain treatment engagement is dominated by pharmaceutical methods, while previous research has assessed barriers to uptake of non-pharmaceutical treatments, there has not been research one step earlier in the treatment development pipeline; assessing barriers to take part in research that develops non-pharmaceutical chronic pain treatment methods.
A two-phase approach was used to assess barriers and facilitators to research participation for people living with chronic pain. Online focus groups were run in phase 1, generating qualitative data, while phase 2 used the themes identified within phase 1 to assess agreement and disagreement.
Participants consisted of people with chronic pain across the UK.
36 participants with chronic pain conditions (defined as any pain lasting or recurring for more than 3 months) were recruited for phase 1. Seven participants could not attend their focus group or a subsequent session, leaving a final sample size of 29 participants (83% female, 17% male; age=20-78 years, M=44.3 years). Phase 2 consisted of 103 participants (89% female, 10% male, 1% prefer not to say; age=20-80 years, M=46.6 years).
Phase 1 identified the largest barrier to be 'distrust', relating to a distrust of medical and research professionals, distrust of confidentiality assurances and distrust that the research would have an impact. The greatest facilitator identified was 'improved accessibility', which related to the accessibility of the research environment, the type of research being conducted and accessible advertisement of the research within trusted settings. Phase 2 found around 80% agreement with all facilitator themes and a mix of opinions regarding barrier themes, highlighting the individuality of barriers experienced when living with chronic pain.
Addressing the barriers and implementing the facilitators identified here ensures that patient participants are comfortable and safe within research environments. Furthermore, this project provides recommendations for researchers to follow to help increase patient engagement in research studies.
慢性疼痛治疗主要采用药物治疗方法，虽然先前的研究评估了采用非药物治疗的障碍，但在治疗开发流程中尚未有更早阶段的研究；评估参与开发非药物慢性疼痛治疗方法研究的障碍。
采用两阶段方法评估慢性疼痛患者参与研究的障碍和促进因素。第一阶段进行在线焦点小组讨论，生成定性数据，而第二阶段利用第一阶段确定的主题来评估共识和分歧。
参与者包括英国各地的慢性疼痛患者。
36名患有慢性疼痛疾病（定义为持续或反复疼痛超过3个月）的参与者被招募到第一阶段。7名参与者无法参加他们的焦点小组或后续会议，最终样本量为29名参与者（83%为女性，17%为男性；年龄在20 - 78岁之间，平均年龄M = 44.3岁）。第二阶段包括103名参与者（89%为女性，10%为男性，1%不愿透露；年龄在20 - 80岁之间，平均年龄M = 46.6岁）。
第一阶段确定最大的障碍是“不信任”，涉及对医疗和研究专业人员的不信任、对保密保证的不信任以及对研究是否会产生影响的不信任。确定的最大促进因素是“提高可及性”，这与研究环境的可及性、所进行的研究类型以及在可信环境中对研究的可及性宣传有关。第二阶段发现，对于所有促进因素主题，约80%的人达成共识，对于障碍主题则存在不同意见，突出了慢性疼痛患者所经历障碍的个体差异性。
解决此处确定的障碍并实施促进因素，可确保患者参与者在研究环境中感到舒适和安全。此外，该项目为研究人员提供了可遵循的建议，以帮助提高患者对研究的参与度。
