Patient education for chronic musculoskeletal pain: a scoping review of recommendations, effectiveness, and educational content.

BACKGROUND

Patient education is considered a core aspect of health care, aimed at helping individuals understand and manage their conditions. However, no systematic overview across patient education approaches exists that can guide the optimization of educational strategies for musculoskeletal disorders.

OBJECTIVES

This scoping review aimed to map 1) recommendations provided about patient education in clinical practice guidelines (CPGs), 2) research on the effectiveness of patient education, and 3) educational content recommended for chronic spinal pain, osteoarthritis, and mixed chronic primary musculoskeletal pain.

METHODS

Following JBI guidance for scoping reviews, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, and PsycINFO from January 2014 to July 2025 for systematic and scoping reviews, Delphi-studies, and consensus studies on patient education. Study selection and data extraction were conducted by pairs of reviewers. Findings were summarized within and across evidence types.

RESULTS

Out of 4,243 unique records screened, 178 full-texts were assessed, and 66 papers included. CPGs consistently recommended patient education, and patients emphasized a need for individualization. Educational themes included helping people understand their condition and factors impacting pain, providing reassurance, and guiding management strategies. There was substantial uncertainty about the effectiveness of various types of patient education, and no reviews investigated individualized education.

CONCLUSIONS

Patient education is central in recommendations of care for musculoskeletal pain disorders, but effectiveness is uncertain, and no specific approach has been shown to be superior. We identified a gap between patient preferences for education individually tailored in a collaborative process and effectiveness studies focusing on pre-defined patient education programs.