A representational approach to patient education

Purpose: To describe the theoretical basis for a representational approach to patient education and the application of this approach to the developmen t, implementation, and preliminary evaluation of a representational interve ntion for pain management. Organizing Construct. Leventhal's common sense model (CSM) was a guide for this approach to patient education. The CSM is based on the idea that peopl e have common sense beliefs, or representations, that guide bow they cope w ith health problems. Theoretically based interventions derived from the CSM have not been reported. Methods: Steps included. (a) designing a general approach to educational in terventions, centered on illness representations; (b) specifying an interve ntion (RIDPAIN) to facilitate coping with cancer pain; (c) pilot-testing an d revising the intervention; and (d) testing feasibility and acceptability of the intervention with 61 patients in a Midwestern American city. Findings: The RIDPAIN intervention was useful in eliciting misconceptions o f pain and pain management from patients experiencing cancer pain. Many pat ients found RIDPAIN to be meaningful and useful, and they perceived it to h ave an effect on pain-related beliefs and behaviors. Conclusions: This theory-driven approach should be effective and widely app licable because it includes patients as active participants in all phases o f the learning continuum, from information acquisition to behavior change.