Applying Patient and Health Professional Preferences in Co-Designing a Digital Brief Intervention to Reduce the Risk of Prescription Opioid-Related Harm Among Patients With Chronic Noncancer Pain: Qualitative Analysis.

BACKGROUND

Few personalized behavioral treatments are available to reduce the risk of prescription opioid-related harm among patients with chronic noncancer pain.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to report on the second phase of the co-design of a digital brief intervention (BI) based on patient and health professional preferences.

METHODS

Eligible patients with chronic noncancer pain (n=18; 10 women; mean age 49.5, SD 6.91 y) from public hospital waitlists and health professionals (n=5; 2 women; mean age 40.2, SD 5.97 y) from pain and addiction clinics completed semistructured telephone interviews or participated in focus groups exploring BI preferences, needs, and considerations for implementation. Grounded theory was used to thematically analyze the data.

RESULTS

We identified 5 themes related to intervention content from patient reports: relevance of the biopsychosocial model and need for improved awareness and pain psychology education; nonpharmacological strategies and flexibility when applying coping skills training; opioid use reflection and education, with personalized medication and tapering plans; holistic and patient-inclusive assessment measures and feedback; and inclusion of holistic goals targeting comfort and happiness. Five themes related to the process and guiding principles were identified: therapist guided; engaging features; compassionate, responsive, person-centered care; a digital solution is exciting, maximizing reach; and educate and normalize system and policy challenges. Finally, 5 themes were reflected in the health professionals' reports: digital health use is rare but desired; digital health is useful for patient monitoring and accessing support; patient motivation is important; a digital BI app is likely beneficial and at multiple care points; and safe medication use and managing pain goals. The reported barriers from health professionals were intervention intensity, potential costs, and patient responsiveness; factors facilitating the implementation were the alignment of digital BIs with clinical models, a stepped-care approach, and feedback.

CONCLUSIONS

This co-design study identified key content areas, guiding principles, enabling factors, and barriers from both patients and health professionals to guide the development of digital BIs. The knowledge gathered should inform future iterations of co-designing digital BIs for the population most at risk of the harmful effects of opioid medications.