Effectiveness of Telementoring in Improving Provider Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perceived Competence in Managing Chronic Pain: A Mixed Methods Study

Introduction Telementoring is an evidence-based approach to meet the educational needs of primary care providers (PCPs) and to improve the quality of chronic pain care. This mixed methods study evaluated the effectiveness of pain management telementoring in improving provider knowledge, attitudes, and perceived competence. Materials and Methods The study was conducted at Madigan Army Medical Center. Using a non-randomized quasi-experimental approach, 25 providers were assigned to intervention arm and control arm (14 intervention and 13 control). Providers in the intervention group attended telementoring sessions. Videoconference technology was used to deliver weekly 90-minute TelePain sessions to the PCPs in the intervention group. The first 25-30 minutes of each session consisted of a didactic presentation led by a panel of interdisciplinary pain management clinicians. During the remaining 60 minutes, all PCPs in the intervention group presented clinical histories and asked specific management questions regarding patients of their choosing. An interdisciplinary panel of pain management clinicians provided telementoring consultations. The panel included experts from pain medicine, primary care, psychology or psychiatry, chiropractic, clinical pharmacy, and nursing. Changes in provider knowledge, attitudes, and perceived competence were evaluated using the Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain, KnowPain-12, and the Perceived Competence Scale (n = 23; 12 intervention and 11 control). Qualitative interviews were conducted among a subset of providers (n = 12; 8 intervention and 4 control), and provider narratives were analyzed using content analysis. Results Increased provider knowledge (Z = 2.0, P = .046 [KnowPain-12]) and perceived competence (Z = 2.1, P = .033) were observed among intervention group providers. Provider narratives supported more implementation of non-pharmacological pain management strategies, use of strategies to engage patients in reducing reliance on opioids, and perception of TelePain as a helpful resource especially in the context of inadequate preparation in chronic pain management during professional training. Conclusions Telementoring may hold significant potential to support providers in their efforts to decrease use of prescription opioids. Overall, this study provides further support for the value of telementoring in improving comprehensive chronic pain management in military settings.