Evaluation of Individual Health Coaching Sessions Provided by a Patient Expert As Part of Therapeutic Education for Patients Registered At the Chronic Pain Consultation

Chronic pain is defined as a persistent sensory and emotional experience, lasting for more than three months, and often resistant to treatment. It can result from various conditions, including life-threatening diseases, accidents, or therapeutic procedures like surgery or chemotherapy. Chronic pain significantly impacts a patient's physical and psychological well-being, often leading to body image issues and functional deterioration in daily activities, both at home and at work or school. The World Health Organization recognized chronic pain as a disease in 2019. Chronic pain patients must adapt to their condition, acquiring new skills and knowledge through therapeutic education. Group sessions, a key part of therapeutic education, help break the isolation felt by many patients, fostering shared experiences and mutual support. Since 2015, the Saint-Joseph Hospital's chronic pain consultation has offered group education workshops, inspired by those at the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital in Paris. However, many patients struggle to apply new skills independently after these workshops. In response, individualized coaching was introduced in 2020. This approach, led by a health coach who is also an expert patient, provides personalized support to help patients set and achieve realistic goals, fostering active engagement in their lives through tailored strategies and ongoing support.

The main aim of this pilot study is to assess the quantitative and qualitative contribution of personalized support by an "expert patient" chronic pain coach (individual coaching), on the functional and emotional impact and emotional impact of their pain, in patients followed up in a chronic pain consultation and having group therapeutic education workshops.