Coping and Motivation for Change—An Interview Study of the Experience From Participation in an Educational Program for Patients With Medication-Overuse Headache

Abstract

Patient educational programs (PEP) are recommended as part of the treatment for medication-overuse headache (MOH), however, knowledge of patients’ experiences when participating is sparse. This study explored how patients experienced participating in a PEP focusing on empowering coping strategies and motivation for behavioral changes. Eight individual semistructured interviews were conducted among patients suffering from MOH who had attended a PEP intervention in a randomized controlled trial. The PEP involved techniques from Motivational Interviewing as its communicative approach. Data collection, analysis, and interpretation were performed within a phenomenological-hermeneutic framework. Results showed that patients found the educational program relevant regarding coping with headache. Participants shifted from focusing on medication to include other ways to manage headache. Experiences regarding ambivalent feelings for behavioral change and feelings of stigmatization were key issues. Participation in this PEP helped the participants cope with headache in new ways relevant to their everyday lives and challenges. The individualized approach enabled by Motivational Interviewing was experienced as useful by the participants, as it actively involved them in the treatment.