Improvement in Pain Neuroscience Knowledge and Patient Perceptions Following a One-Day Multidisciplinary Pain Education Program

J Eval Clin Pract. 2026 Aug;32(5):e70544. doi: 10.1111/jep.70544.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Pain neuroscience education is recognized as a core component of multidisciplinary chronic pain management. Although meta-analyses report small to medium clinical benefits across a range of chronic pain conditions and delivery settings, further evidence is needed to support implementation.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate changes in knowledge of pain neurophysiology and patient perceptions following participation in a single-session, multidisciplinary "Introduction to Pain Management" (IPM) program delivered within a tertiary pain service.

METHODS: This quality improvement study examined outcomes from patients attending one of 16 IPM sessions delivered between February and December 2025. Participants completed the Revised Neurophysiology of Pain Questionnaire (R-NPQ) immediately before and after the program. Rasch analysis was conducted to generate person estimates, and pre-post changes were analyzed using the paired-sample t-test. A post-program survey assessed perceived relevance, clarity, and intended use of self-management strategies.

RESULTS: Of the 172 patients who attended the program, paired Rasch person estimates were available for 158 patients following exclusion of those with extreme Rasch scores. Participation in the IPM program was associated with a statistically significant increase in knowledge of pain neurophysiology (p < 0.001), with a moderate-to-large effect size (d = 0.73). Post-program survey responses indicated high levels of perceived relevance, clarity, and intended use of self-management strategies.

CONCLUSIONS: Participation in a single-session, multidisciplinary pain education program was associated with immediate improvements in pain neurophysiology knowledge and positive patient perceptions. These findings support the role of brief, structured pain education as a foundational component of multidisciplinary tertiary chronic pain services. Further research is needed to determine whether improvements in pain neurophysiology knowledge are maintained over time and associated with longer-term clinical outcomes.

PMID:42507815 | DOI:10.1111/jep.70544