Co-design of novel resources for pain science education implementation: PainPLaN (Personalised Learning and Navigation to pain education resources).

Abstract

Private practice physiotherapists are critically positioned to integrate pain science education (PSE) into patient care but face challenges integrating PSE into real-world care. To address this, a co-design approach was used to develop resources/strategies to improve PSE integration into routine practice. Co-design promotes meaningful end-user involvement, ensuring that outputs align with real-world needs. A multistage iterative co-design methodology, guided by the Double Diamond design process, involved people with chronic pain, private practice physiotherapists, and researchers as equal partners. Three workshop rounds used participatory strategies to promote collaboration and reduce perceived hierarchies. Workshop 1 (Brainstorm) explored opportunities to integrate PSE, workshop 2 (Prototype) involved rapid prototyping, and workshop 3 (Refine) refined the prototypes. Both coresearcher-led and researcher-led analysis were iteratively fed into subsequent workshops. Twenty coresearchers (n = 9 patients with chronic pain, n = 6 physiotherapists without chronic pain, n = 5 physiotherapists with chronic pain; 75% female; mean age 47.6 [SD 13.5] years) and 3 researchers participated. Workshop 1 identified 4 key timepoints and associated formats for PSE integration. Prototyping in workshop 2 led to consensus on infographic sheets and personalised action plans. Refinement in workshop 3 highlighted the importance of affordability, accessibility, individualisation, and pacing. The final resource, "PainPLaN: Personalised Learning and Navigation to pain education resources," includes a personalised action plan builder linked to infographic sheets for collaborative use by physiotherapists and patients. Co-design ensured authentic end-user involvement at all design/development stages, providing a strong foundation for future resource testing and PSE implementation in clinical care.