"I Have Faith in God That I Will Get Better"-The Multidimensional Perceptions and Expectations of Patients with Chronic Shoulder Pain: A Qualitative Analysis of Common Sense.

Abstract

Objective: This descriptive qualitative study aimed to gain insights into the expectations of individuals with chronic shoulder pain and to investigate how different levels of disability may influence their beliefs and expectations regarding improvement.

Methods: This qualitative study utilized the Common Sense Model (CSM) as its theoretical framework. Conducted within a public physical therapist clinic, individuals with chronic shoulder pain who were awaiting the initiation of the treatment were included. Participants, female and male [aged 30 to 69 years], were purposefully sampled. Thirty participants, categorized into 2 groups based on the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) scores, underwent semi-structured interviews. Group 1, lower SPADI scores (0 to 60), had 10 participants, and Group 2, higher SPADI scores (61 to 100), had 20 participants. Thematic analysis and inductive coding were employed to analyze the interviews.

Results: Common themes emerged in both groups: the use of medical terms for understanding the diagnosis and the multidimensional impact of pain. The last 2 themes differed between groups. Notable differences included Group 1's focus on resources for pain relief and positive expectations with physical therapy, while Group 2 emphasized rest, religion as a resource for pain relief, and God's role in improvement.

Conclusion: These findings highlight the complexity of beliefs and expectations among patients with chronic shoulder pain. Individuals with greater disability often incorporated religious beliefs into their coping strategies, but they held lower recovery expectations and reported negative treatment experiences. These insights have implications for tailoring patient-centered care approaches.

Impact: This study underscores the need for health care providers to consider the multidimensionality of recovery expectations, which can significantly influence patient outcomes. Clinicians can reflect on this knowledge to optimize treatment strategies and improve patient prognosis.