Veterans' pain management goals: Changes during the course of a peer-led pain self-management program

•Explores how goals & views change during a peer-led pain self-management program.•Patients reported more motivation & goal-setting, and stronger goal-orientation.•Patients clarified goal importance and had more measurable & specific goals.•The peer-coach relationship influenced increased motivation & goal setting.•Trainings should explore effect of provider-patient relationship on motivation.

ObjectiveGoal setting is a common element of self-management support programs; however, little is known about the nature of patients' goals or how goals change during pain self-management. The purpose of the current study is to explore how patients' goals and views of goal setting change over the course of a peer-led pain self-management program.MethodsVeterans (n = 16) completing a 4-month peer-led pain self-management program completed semi-structured interviews at baseline and follow-up regarding their goals for their pain. Interviews were analyzed using immersion/crystallization.ResultsAnalyses revealed six themes: motivation to do something for their pain, more goal-oriented, actually setting goals, clarity of goal importance, more specific/measurable goal criteria, and more specific/measurable strategies.ConclusionThe current analyses illustrate how participants' goals can evolve over the course of a peer-led pain self-management program. Specifically, increased motivation, more openness to using goals, greater clarity of goal importance, more specific and measurable goals and strategies, and the influence of the peer coach relationship were described by participants.Practice implicationsPain self-management interventions should emphasize goal setting, and development of specific, measurable goals and plans. Trainings for providers should address the potential for the provider-patient relationship, particularly peer providers, to facilitate motivation and goal setting.