Integrative Pain Management in Group Medical Visits

Integrative pain management in group medical visits combines conventional medical evaluation with complementary therapies within a shared clinical encounter. Patients attend scheduled sessions during which a multidisciplinary team delivers evidence-based interventions such as mindfulness training, nutritional counselling, movement practices (for example yoga or tai chi), acupuncture and cognitive–behavioural strategies. This model emphasises patient education, self-management skills and peer support, creating a collaborative environment that addresses physical, psychological and social dimensions of chronic pain. By reducing reliance on opioids and promoting non-pharmacological modalities, group visits aim to enhance quality of life, improve functional capacity and mitigate health-care disparities. Globally, this approach has been adopted across safety-net clinics, academic centres and community settings, demonstrating adaptability to diverse populations and resource environments. The synthesis of therapeutic modalities within a group context fosters mutual engagement, reinforces adherence to lifestyle changes and allows clinicians to deliver comprehensive care efficiently.

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Integrative Pain Management in Group Medical Visits publication trend

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Technical terms

Shared medical appointment (SMA): A clinical encounter format in which multiple patients simultaneously receive medical assessment, education and therapy from a multidisciplinary team.

Integrative medicine: An approach that combines conventional medical treatments with evidence-based complementary therapies to address the whole person.

Mind-body techniques: Interventions (for example mindfulness, meditation and yoga) that use mental processes to influence physical health and pain perception.

Implementation determinants: Factors at individual, organisational and system levels that facilitate or hinder adoption of an innovation.

Patient-reported outcomes: Measures of health status or treatment impact reported directly by patients, commonly using standardised questionnaires.

Opioid reduction strategies: Interventions aimed at minimising use of opioid analgesics through alternative pain-management modalities.

References

1. Determinants of implementation for group medical visits for patients with chronic pain: a systematic review. Implementation Science Communications (2024).
2. Effectiveness of integrative medicine group visits in chronic pain and depressive symptoms: A randomized controlled trial. PLOS ONE (2019).
3. Integrative Group Medical Visits: A National Scoping Survey of Safety-Net Clinics. Health Equity (2019).
4. “Living Well with Chronic Pain”: Integrative Pain Management via Shared Medical Appointments. Pain Medicine (2021).
5. Integrative medical group visits for patients with chronic pain: results of a pilot single-site hybrid implementation-effectiveness feasibility study. Frontiers in Pain Research (2023).