Recent Advances in Non-Invasive Digital Nursing Technologies for Chronic Pain Assessment and Management: An Integrative Review

Abstract

Aim: This integrative review aims to identify what nurses currently offer through digital technology and their success in managing chronic pain.

Design: An integrative review guided by Whittemore and Knafl was conducted.

Data sources: Five databases-CINAHL, Medline, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Scopus-were utilised to gather relevant studies from January 2018 to November 2024.

Review methods: Selected studies were assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool and the Joanna Briggs Appraisal Tool. Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis was applied to identify pertinent themes.

Results: Digital nursing technologies such as telehealth and web-based interventions effectively deliver interventions to assess and manage chronic pain; these technologies can reduce healthcare resource utilisation and increase accessibility. This review highlights that nurses commonly deliver exercise, cognitive-behavioural therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy and self-management techniques through digital technology.

Conclusion: This review indicates that web-based interventions and telemedicine are the primary digital technologies employed by nurses for chronic pain management providing psychosocial interventions, with evidence supporting their effectiveness. Digital and web-based technology is essential to bridge healthcare access gaps as nurses can provide this successfully with minimal nursing support and cost to the patient.

Impact: Evidence supports nurses in providing psychosocial interventions for the management of chronic pain, particularly web-based psychosocial interventions. Nurses need to adopt digital technology to improve access to care and patient outcomes and to maintain professional development in an increasingly digital world.

Patient or public contribution: No patient or public contribution was used for this study.

Keywords: chronic pain; cognitive behavioural therapy; digital technology; internet based intervention; pain management; psychosocial intervention; registered nurses; self management; telemedicine.