Activating waitlists: identifying barriers and facilitators to pain self-management while waiting

Tidmarsh, L. V. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-0613-1607, Harrison, R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3674-9622, Wilkinson, H., Harrington, M. and Finlay, K. A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8997-2652 (2025) Activating waitlists: identifying barriers and facilitators to pain self-management while waiting. British Journal of Pain. ISSN 2049-4645 doi: 10.1177/20494637241311456

Abstract/Summary

Objectives Waitlists for pain management services are often extensive, risking psychological and physical decline and patient non-engagement in treatment once accessed. Currently, for outpatient pain management, no standardised waiting list interventions exist, resulting in passive waiting. To arrest prospective wait-related decline(s), this study aimed to identify the barriers and facilitators to pain self-management while waiting, forming the foundation for a waitlist intervention development. Design An inductive qualitative approach was utilised to explore the barriers and drivers of pain self-management while waiting for chronic pain management. Method Semi-structured interviews, underpinned by the Theoretical Domains Framework and COM-B model, were conducted with people waiting for pain management services ( N = 38). Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed via reflexive thematic analysis. Results The analysis demonstrated four thematised barriers and one facilitator: (1) Shunted Around the System (barrier); (2) The Information Gap (barrier); (3) Resisting Adaptation ( barrier); (4) Losing Hope ( barrier); and (5) Help Yourself or Lose Yourself (facilitator). Conclusion This study demonstrates the severe emotional and motivational impact of waiting, increasing treatment disengagement. The waitlist represents a prime opportunity for prehabilitation to protect wellbeing and optimise self-management engagement. Infrastructural and interpersonal barriers of poor communication and healthcare professional pain invalidation must be addressed to improve emotional wellbeing and motivation to engage with planned treatment. Enhancing self-efficacy, pain acceptance, self-compassion, and internal HLOC are fundamental to increasing pain self-management. These can all be met within a prehabilitation framework. This study is foundational for the development of psychological prehabilitation in outpatient chronic pain management.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/120278
Identification Number/DOI	10.1177/20494637241311456
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Interdisciplinary Research Centres (IDRCs) > Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Neurodynamics (CINN) Life Sciences > School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences > Department of Psychology
Publisher	SAGE Publications
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