Characteristics and Outcomes of Health Education and Psychoeducation for Chronic Pain: a systematic review of literature

Abstract

The aim of this study was to characterize scientific publications regarding health education and psychoeducation for chronic pain in order to identify which modalities of health education and psychoeducation are being conducted, what are their focus, target audience, and results. A systematic review of literature was carried out in eight national and international databases of articles published between 1989 and 2020, in Portuguese and English. In total, 1457 studies were found, and 36 of which were selected for analysis. The information was organized into the categories: concept used, focus of the study, and characteristics of interventions. Results show that most articles did not mention the meaning of the terms "psychoeducation" and "health education" although their use was consistent and is in line with the literature. Educational interventions are used in the treatment of adolescents, adults, and elderly’s chronic pain, in various formats and offered, in general, in conjunction with other treatment modalities. Psychoeducation and health education were considered achievable, with good acceptance by health professionals and among adult and elderly patients.