What patient education strategies can I employ to help manage chronic joint pain effectively?

Patient education strategies for effectively managing chronic joint pain include:

• Providing individualized management plans tailored to the person's symptom severity, affected joints, physical function, and comorbidities to ensure relevance and engagement ¹.
• Offering clear information and advice about osteoarthritis, including its clinical diagnosis, symptom progression, flares, and dispelling common misconceptions to empower patients ³.
• Signposting to reliable sources of information and support such as Versus Arthritis and NHS decision support tools, which provide accessible educational materials and peer support ¹,³.
• Educating about therapeutic exercise, emphasizing the benefits of regular, consistent local muscle strengthening and aerobic fitness exercises, and explaining that initial increases in joint pain are common but adherence improves long-term pain and function ¹,³.
• Incorporating behaviour change approaches such as pain coping skills training, goal setting, and motivational coaching within structured education programmes to enhance self-management ¹,³.
• Advising on weight management for overweight or obese patients, explaining that weight loss improves quality of life, physical function, and reduces pain, and supporting goal setting for weight loss ¹,³.
• Discussing self-care strategies for symptom relief and flares, including appropriate footwear and pacing of activities to protect joints ¹.
• Encouraging shared decision-making to involve patients actively in their care, ensuring education is tailored to individual needs, language, culture, and health literacy ³.
• Explaining the role and limitations of pharmacological treatments such as topical NSAIDs and simple analgesia, and clarifying that strong opioids and glucosamine are not recommended ¹,³.
• Signposting to additional support services including psychosocial support, occupational therapy, social prescribing, and physiotherapy referrals to reinforce education and management ¹,².