A discrete choice experiment to value the personalisation of support for self-management of chronic pain

Chronic pain is common, with effective self-management strategies moderating its impact. Indeed, support for self-management by healthcare providers is increasingly promoted in guidelines and policy statements. However, there remains a paradox, in that while much self-management takes place by the individual and emphasises what works for them in their personal context, most support for self-management is delivered in standardised ways, with an emphasis on correcting generic deficits in knowledge, thinking or behaviour.

This research has examined how patients value the ways in which SSM is made personal to them as individuals. The research team underook a discrete choice experiment (DCE) involving adults with chronic pain.

This research goes beyond existing DCE studies of preferences in service delivery; self-efficacy; and pain impact, in that it has examined how people with chronic pain value the ways in which SSM is personalised to enable them to be the best they can be, and how that valuation varies between individuals within the diverse population of adults with chronic pain.

This research was completed in early 2016, the project findings are currently being prepared for publication in a peer review journal.

Contact details

For more information about this project, contact Darshan Patel, Research Manager at the Health Foundation and Dr Christopher Burton, University of Aberdeen.