Group medical visits, a model of biopsychosocial chronic pain management, provide several forms of social support for individuals experiencing chronic pain. The model

allows multiple patients with a common condition to receive care together, alongside health education and peer support.

The study, led by Maria T. Chao, DrPH, of the Osher Center for Integrative Health at the University of California, San Francisco, drew on qualitative data collected within a randomized trial at San Francisco safety-net clinics. A total of 26 patients (mean age, 58; 57% women) were assigned to group visits made up of 12 weekly two-hour sessions covering clinical care, pain education, mindfulness, and gentle movement, along with group discussion. The sessions were co-facilitated by primary care and behavioral health clinicians as well as a movement and mindfulness instructor.

Patients experienced four types of social support through the groups: emotional, appraisal, informational, and instrumental. The nonjudgmental, trusting space encouraged emotional support, including removing shame over late arrivals or absences and allowing patients to name and discuss grief.

Groups were co-facilitated by primary care and behavioral health clinicians, as well as a movement and mindfulness instructor. Facilitators offered appraisal support by disclosing their own setbacks, while peers offered affirmations that encouraged self-compassion. Informational support came from both the curriculum and peers, who traded practical tips, such as using frozen water bottles for plantar fasciitis. Instrumental support included peers bringing food to share and facilitators referring participants for counseling and other services.

“Implementation of group medical visits to promote collective care can reduce reliance on short, one-on-one encounters and foster continuity, trust, and collective agency,” the authors conclude.

To read the study, published in Annals of Family Medicine, click here: https://www.annfammed.org/content/24/5/422

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