This scoping review aimed to explore and describe the characteristics of co-design studies and how co-design has been used in developing pain management interventions.
This scoping review reported following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. Primary studies used co-design for developing pain management interventions were systematically retrieved from MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINHAL, PsychINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus from inception to 11 March 2024. After de-duplication, title, abstract, and full text were independently screened. Data were extracted, analyzed, and reported using numerical and descriptive approaches.
Among 9,033 screened articles, only 47 peer-reviewed studies met the inclusion criteria. The 47 studies were conducted in 14 countries across five continents. About 94% (n=44/47) of the included studies were conducted in high-income countries. Only 3 studies (6.4%) were conducted in lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with 2 studies conducted in a single middle-income country. From the 47 studies, 13 different terminologies were used to describe the collaboration between researchers and end users in the co-design process. Patients and multidisciplinary healthcare professionals were involved in many co-design studies. However, participants were mainly engaged in a consultation level. More than three-fourths of the co-design studies were conducted among older adults and people with chronic pain to develop technology-based interventions and self-management programs.
There is significant variability in how co-design is utilized to develop an intervention from pain management studies. Co-design is commonly used in the included studies to develop technology-based interventions and self-management programs for people with chronic pain. LMICs were underrepresented in co-design studies and pain management interventions. Conducting co-design interventions in LMICs could enhance the accessibility of chronic pain management and patient-centered care worldwide.
The findings of our scoping review have a significant implication in providing insights for applying co-design intervention in chronic pain management. The results of this review underscore the need for a standardized co-design guide for future research, engaging end users more meaningfully and expanding co-design approaches in LMICs to address global disparities in pain management.
Co-design
Scoping review
