title: "Change is possible": Patients' experience of a multimodal chronic pain rehabilitation programme.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore patients' experiences of activity, participation and quality of life one year after a rehabilitation programme for chronic pain, and to determine the impact of the programme on their current life situation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Qualitative study with emergent design.
  
  
  METHODS
  The 14 informants were patients with chronic pain who had participated in rehabilitation at a pain clinic. Individual semi-structured interviews were analysed with inductive, qualitative content analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The core theme "Change is possible" and the themes "A life ruled by pain" (the situation before rehabilitation), "The penny's dropped" (experience during rehabilitation) and "Live a life, not only survive" (the situation at the time of the interviews) emerged from the data. These themes represent a process through which, during and after rehabilitation, the informants integrated earlier disabling symptoms into a functioning lifestyle.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Individuals living with disabling chronic pain can create a better life by integrating their illness. A prerequisite is that healthcare professionals empower patients to develop the strength to take responsibility for their daily lives. This process is facilitated by skills to reduce pain and handle life, plus support from significant others.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Science and Education, Södersjukhuset, Karolinska Institutet, 11883 Stockholm, Sweden. andrea.hallstam@sodersjukhuset.se.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hållstam
authors.forename: Britt Marie
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Stålnacke
authors.forename: Christer
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Svensen
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Löfgren
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018710:Pain Clinics; D059408:Pain Management / Q000379:methods; D010358:Patient Participation / Q000379:methods; D015397:Program Evaluation; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011788:Quality of Life