Factors Influencing the Self-Management Stages of Older Patients With Chronic Pain: A Cross-Sectional Study

Nursing professionals can use research survey findings to identify patients at low levels of self-management stage and develop personalized intervention strategies based on various influencing factors. For example, nurses can provide practical smoking cessation guidance to assist older chronic pain patients in improving their lifestyle. Nurses can also seek support from family members to collectively offer better medical care and nursing services for the patient if financially feasible. Secondly, as our study has demonstrated, patients' health literacy and psychological flexibility were poor. Nurses can utilize available clinical resources to offer educational materials, such as portable handbooks and online videos, covering pain-related knowledge, managing pain medication, and coping strategies like massage and exercise. Combining this approach with mental health education, such as relaxation therapy, can help patients better understand their pain and actively participate in their self-management. In addition, nursing staff should pay more attention to the self-management stages of older chronic pain patients, and the assessment of self-management stages can be included in clinical pain management for patients. Regular assessment will help track more patients needing attention and make timely adjustments to their pain management plans.