Introduction
•The biopsychosocial (BPS) model of chronic pain conceptualizes the chronic pain experience into biological, psychological, and social factors.
•Gaps in knowledge remain regarding patients’ perspectives on the model and its practical implementation in patient care, motivating investigation into perspectives from chronic pain patients at an outpatient clinic.
Materials and Methods
•This study was conducted at our academic center’s outpatient pain clinic from June 1, 2025, to August 1, 2025.
•After obtaining written informed consent, a 9-item biopsychosocial survey was administered to 24 patients scheduled for pain procedures.
Results
Medical approaches targeting biological factors were the most frequent treatment modality previously received by these patients (n=23). Non-Hispanic patients (73.3%) were more likely to find psychological approaches as helpful for managing chronic pain as compared to Hispanic patients (22.2%) (p= 0.03). A significant proportion of younger patients (age <52.5 years old) were more likely to report that they believed that their mental state contributed to their pain condition (p=0.037).
Discussion
•Medications were the most common therapy used with most patients concerned enough about their potential side effects to consider other types of therapy.
•A majority of patients reported that psychological factors also affected their pain experience with the exception of Hispanic patients.
•Most patients also believed that environmental factors play a role in their pain experience.
•Therefore, a majority of patients believed that all aspects of the BPS model contribute to their pain.
•Clinicians should consider past experiences, cultural factors, and generational differences in collaboration with patients when tailoring individual treatment plans for chronic pain.
References
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2. Baral SP, Prasad P, Raghuvamshi G. Mental Health Awareness And Generation Gap. Indian J Psychiatry. 2022;64(Suppl 3):S636. doi:10.4103/0019-5545.341859
3. Timmerman L, Stellema R, Stronks DL, Groeneweg G, Huygen FJ. Adherence to pharmacological pain therapy in patients with nonmalignant pain: the role of patients' knowledge of pain medication. Pain Pract. 2014;14(8):701-708. doi:10.1111/papr.12139
