Recognizing potential barriers to setting and achieving effective rehabilitation goals for patients with persistent pain

ABSTRACT

Although the process of goal setting in rehabilitation of individuals with persistent pain is considered a fundamental and requisite skill, it is frequently reported as a challenging element of clinical practice. Factors which may contribute to the complexity of goal setting include the potential for unrecognized shifts in cognitive function, psychological comorbidities, and the social context of both providers and patients. This review aims to describe factors which may confound the process of setting and achieving collaborative rehabilitation goals using a biopsychosocial framework and to provide recommendations to enhance goal setting effectiveness.

KEYWORDS:

• Biopsychosocial
• chronic pain
• cognition
• collaborative goal setting
• executive functioning
• neuroplasticity
• persistent pain