A feasibility study of brief group-based acceptance and commitment therapy for chronic pain in general practice: recruitment, attendance, and patient views
Open accessAbstract
Background: Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), a form of cognitive-behavioral therapy, may help meet a need for accessible and cost-effective treatments for chronic pain. ACT has a growing evidence base, but has not yet been tested within general practice settings. Aim: The purpose of the present study was to examine the feasibility of conducting a full-scale randomized controlled trial of ACT in general practice. Methods: A total of 481 potential participants with chronic pain identified from general practice in southwest England were invited into a treatment trial. Subsequently, 102 (21.2%) of those invited were screened, and 73 (71.6%) of those screened were allocated to ACT plus usual care or usual care alone. The ACT treatment included four, four-hour group-based sessions over two weeks. Results: Twenty-six (70.3%) of the patients allocated to ACT attended three or four sessions. Those who received ACT rated it as credible in a short survey, with Mdn rating 7.0 on a 0–10 scale, across five credibility items. During a post-treatment interview considering 12 aspects of the study from invitation to treatment termination, a median of 79.2% of participants rated the aspects ‘acceptable.’ Qualitative data from the interviews showed a mixed picture of patient experiences, revealing possible tensions between patients’ wishes to avoid discomfort and confusion, and treatment methods that explicitly ask patients to, in essence, ‘live with’ some discomfort and confusion. Conclusions: These data suggest that further study of ACT, as a treatment for chronic pain, is feasible in general practice and it may be possible to further optimize the treatment experience.
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Results from a brief (four session) group-based ACT intervention carried out in Southwest England with persistent pain patients revealed that the use of ACT is feasible in general practice and considered acceptable by patients.
“Results from a brief (four session) group- based ACT intervention carried out in Southwest England with persistent pain patients revealed that the use of ACT is feasible in general practice and considered acceptable by patients.21”
From Protocol for a feasibility and acceptability study using a brief ACT-based intervention for people from Southwest Wales who live with persistent pain (2018) · cites this paper as [21]
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- Authors
- McCracken, L. M., Sato, A., Wainwright, D., House, W., & Taylor, G. J.
- Affiliations
- King's College London (GB)
- University of Bath (GB)
- Corresponding author
- McCracken, Lance M.
- Venue
- Primary Health Care Research & Development
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2013-07-19
- Volume
- 15
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 312-323
- ISSN
- 1463-4236 (ISSN-L)
- 1477-1128
- OpenAlex
- W2316500933
- Cited by
- 27
- References
- 29
- Citations by year
- 2025: 2 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 2 · 2016: 4 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 3.70
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Primary Health Care Research & Development (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (PB-PG-0808-16156)
- Research for Patient Benefit Programme
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
- Keywords
- acceptance and commitment therapy, chronic pain, feasibility, general practice, recruitment (clinical trials), treatment attendance, patient acceptability, treatment credibility, patient experience, usual care
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Cost-Benefit Analysis, England, Feasibility Studies, Female, Humans, Interviews as Topic, Male, Middle Aged, Psychotherapy, Group, Program Evaluation, Patient Selection, Qualitative Research, Young Adult, General Practice, Chronic Pain, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
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