Transforming Pain - Evaluation of a Multicomponent Workshop for the Treatment of Chronic Pain - A Quasi-Experimental Design with Control Group

Sep 30, 2026

Uploaded by Kyle

A quasi-experimental before–after study with a contemporaneous control group evaluated a multicomponent workshop for chronic pain. Twenty to thirty percent of the global population affected by chronic pain is addressed through a nonpharmacological, interdisciplinary model emphasizing active patient participation. In 128 participants, the intervention group showed significant short- and medium-term improvements across pain and multiple psychosocial and well-being measures, with effects sustained at three months. Satisfaction and perceived impact were also assessed.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

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Article “Transforming Pain”: Evaluation of a Multicomponent Workshop for the Treatment of Chronic Pain—A Quasi-Experimental Design with Control Group María Victoria Ruiz-Romero 1,2,3, María Begoña Gómez-Hernández 1,2,3, Ana Porrúa-Del Saz 1, María Blanca Martínez-Monrobé 1,2,3, Natalia Gutiérrez-Fernández 1,4, Almudena Arroyo-Rodríguez 2,3, Rosa Anastasia Garrido-Alfaro 1, Ángela C. López-Tarrida 1, *, Néstor Canal-Diez 4, María Dolores Guerra-Martín 5 and Consuelo Pereira-Delgado 1,2,3 Academic Editors: Graz˙ yna Ba˛czyk and Dorota Formanowicz Received: 21 November 2025 Revised: 30 December 2025 Accepted: 31 December 2025 Published: 2 January 2026 Copyright: © 2026 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. 1 San Juan de Dios del Aljarafe Hospital, Bormujos, 41930 Seville, Spain; [mariavictoria.ruiz@sjd.es](mariavictoria.ruiz@sjd.es) (M.V.R.-R.); [mbghernandez@euef.comillas.edu](mbghernandez@euef.comillas.edu) (M.B.G.-H.); [ana.porrua.delsaz@gmail.com](ana.porrua.delsaz@gmail.com) (A.P.-D.S.); [mbmmonrobe@euef.comillas.edu](mbmmonrobe@euef.comillas.edu) (M.B.M.-M.); [nataliagutfer@gmail.com](nataliagutfer@gmail.com) (N.G.-F.); [rosagarridoalfaro@gmail.com](rosagarridoalfaro@gmail.com) (R.A.G.-A.); [cmpereira@euef.comillas.edu](cmpereira@euef.comillas.edu) (C.P.-D.) 2 San Juan de Dios Foundation, 28015 Madrid, Spain; [aarroyor@comillas.edu](aarroyor@comillas.edu) 3 Health Sciences Department, San Juan de Dios School, Comillas Pontifical University, Bormujos, 28036 Seville, Spain 4 Student Research Hub José Bueno O.H., San Juan de Dios University Nursing Center, Bormujos, 41930 Seville, Spain; [nesgercandie@gmail.com](nesgercandie@gmail.com) 5 Department of Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Podiatry, University of Seville, 41009 Seville, Spain; [guema@us.es](guema@us.es) * Correspondence: angelacarmen.lopez@sjd.es Highlights What are the main findings? • Participants in the intervention group showed consistent and clinically relevant improvements across all outcomes compared with baseline: reductions in pain intensity and analgesic use, alongside increases in well-being, quality of life, perceived health, self-esteem, and resilience, as well as decreases in anxiety and depression. • The core technique (mental analgesia) was associated with pain reduction in approximately three-quarters of participants, while around four-fifths reduced their medication intake, mainly by lowering the frequency of use or discontinuing certain drugs. Most participants also reported adopting healthier lifestyle habits. • These benefits were sustained at medium-term follow-up, three months after completion of the workshop. What are the implications of the main findings? • Creating structured spaces where patients can share experiences with peers has therapeutic value, allowing individuals with different diagnoses but a common symptom, such as chronic pain, to connect, feel understood, and engage in mutual support. • Assessing the combined use of the techniques, therapies, and tools applied in this program demonstrates their effectiveness in achieving the intended goal: transforming and alleviating pain by fostering active patient engagement in self-care, thereby improving quality of life and emotional well-being. Abstract Background/Objectives: Between 20 and 30% of the global population experiences Chronic Pain (CP) . A comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach incorporating nonpharmacological interventions and active patient participation is recommended. This study evaluated the short-and medium-term effectiveness of a multicomponent workshop compared with a control group. Methods: A detailed description of the workshop and a single-group before–after evaluation in 197 patients were recently published. The present study used a quasi-exp

FAQs

What outcomes improved after the multicomponent workshop?

Participants receiving the workshop showed clinically relevant reductions in pain intensity and analgesic use, along with increases in well-being, quality of life, perceived health, self-esteem, and resilience, and decreases in anxiety and depression.

How was the workshop evaluated compared with the control group?

The study used a quasi-experimental before–after design with a three-month follow-up, comparing an intervention group (n=64) with a contemporaneous control group that continued usual care (n=64).

How long were the benefits sustained?

Improvements were sustained at medium-term follow-up, three months after completion of the workshop.

Sep 30, 2026

Uploaded by Kyle