Evaluating the Effect of a Multimodal Residential Program for Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder on Chronic Pain Acceptance: A Feasibility Project

Opioid overdose is now the leading cause of unintentional injury related mortality in the U.S. with two people dying each day as a result of opioid overdose in Arizona. Among patients treated for opioid use disorder, chronic pain is frequently cited as the reason for opioid use. Treatment of chronic pain with long-term use of opioids is linked to increased medication tolerance, worsened pain sensitivity, and psychological symptoms. Acceptance of chronic pain is the individual’s ability to be willing to endure pain and their ability and willingness to participate in activities despite experiencing chronic pain. Increased acceptance of chronic pain has been shown to lower pain intensity, promote recovery of individuals’ emotional and physical abilities, and lessen use of pain medication including opioids.

Purpose: The purpose of this evidence-based practice project was to examine the feasibility of using acceptance of chronic pain, pain severity, and pain interference as measures to evaluate the effectiveness of a multimodal residential treatment program for opioid abuse.

Methods: Two surveys, the CPAQ and BPI were administered shortly after admission (T1) and after 21-25 days (T2) to evaluate project feasibility.

Results: Six participants were enrolled. Three participants completed T1 and T2 surveys. Three participants were lost to follow-up. Mean scores for Chronic Pain Acceptance were T1 = 79 (SD = 17.0) and T2 = 78.67 (SD = 5.0). All surveys were easy to administer and participants answered all questions.

Conclusion: Chronic pain acceptance may be a feasible and meaningful measure with which to evaluate residential treatment programs. Further research is needed to evaluate acceptance of chronic pain with long-term opioid abstinence and overdose deaths.