HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS’ PERSPECTIVES ON BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE CHRONIC PAIN MANAGEMENT

Abstract

Background: Chronic pain remains a major public health challenge, with significant implications for quality of life, healthcare utilization, and economic burden. Despite advances in multimodal and patient-centered approaches, healthcare providers frequently encounter barriers that hinder effective chronic pain management. A qualitative approach is well-suited to capture the nuanced, contextualized perspectives of providers, offering insights beyond what quantitative surveys can reveal.

Objective: This study aimed to explore healthcare providers’ experiences and perspectives on the challenges and barriers impacting the delivery of effective chronic pain management services.

Methods: A qualitative phenomenological design was employed to capture the lived experiences of healthcare professionals across diverse settings. Purposive sampling recruited 20 participants, including physicians, nurses, physiotherapists, and psychologists, from primary care, community health centers, and hospital pain clinics. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, audio-recorded, and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s six-phase thematic analysis framework, with strategies such as member checking, peer debriefing, and reflexivity journals employed to enhance trustworthiness.

Results: Three overarching themes emerged: (1) structural barriers, including limited resources, fragmented interdisciplinary collaboration, and policy misalignment; (2) provider-level challenges, encompassing training gaps in nonpharmacologic care, variable adoption of digital tools, and professional role constraints; and (3) contextual influences, such as patient engagement variability, rural and underserved access disparities, and digital literacy limitations. Themes were supported by rich, illustrative participant quotes.

Conclusion: Healthcare providers face multifaceted and interlinked barriers to delivering effective chronic pain management. Addressing these challenges requires system-level policy reforms, improved interdisciplinary collaboration, targeted professional training, and equitable digital health integration. Findings have direct implications for clinical practice, healthcare policy, and future research aimed at closing the evidence–practice gap in chronic pain care.