The Use of Guided Self-determination in the Treatment of Chronic Pain Patients Will Increase Life Skills and Thereby Life Quality of the Chronic Pain Patient

Twenty percent of the Danish population suffer from chronic pain, which leads to the second highest financial expense following psychiatric diseases. In treating chronic pain, the main focus is often on diagnosis and treatment rather than life quality and everyday life. Several studies point to the fact that the interaction between the health professional and the patient can be improved by the individual patient being educated in taking responsibility for his/her own illness, and by involving the patient in decision making through training communication.

GSD is an educational method, comprising 32 semi-structured reflection sheets inviting the patients in groups of 4 through 8 sessions of 150 minutes' duration to reflect on the patient's own situation and to be active in co-operation with the nurses.

A total of 192 patients will be included and randomized in either an intervention or in a control group. The difference between the two groups is measured by means of three questionnaires, SF-36, PAM and SOC, which are answered before and after the intervention as well as 6 months later.

The hypothesis is "using guided self-determination in the treatment of chronic pain patients will increase the life skills of the patients and thus their life quality in spite of pain".

An alliance is established between The Multidisciplinary Pain Clinic at Herlev Hospital and The Pain Clinic at Naestved Hospital as well as The Regional Pain Clinic at Koege Hospital to conduct this intervention and thus make the best possible use of interrelated knowledge within the issue.