Assessing group medical visits for the management of chronic pain in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Vollständiger Abstract

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Abstract Background and Objectives Chronic pain in older adults affects mobility, cognition, and social isolation. Episodic medical visits often struggle to address the complexity of chronic pain. Group medical visits combine clinical care with group education and peer support, addressing limitations of one-on-one care. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated group medical visit’s effectiveness for chronic pain management in older adults. Research Design and Methods A systematic literature search was conducted in June 2025 for studies evaluating group medical visits in adults aged ≥60 with chronic pain. The review included randomized controlled trials, nonrandomized trials, and single-arm studies. The primary outcome was pain intensity. Random-effects meta-analyses examined within-group (pre-post) and between-group (group medical visits vs control) effects. Results 10 studies (n = 1,255 participants) were included, comprising 7 randomized controlled trials, 2 single-arm interventional studies, and 1 nonrandomized controlled trial. The meta-analysis of within-group changes for those receiving group medical visits demonstrated a significant but moderate reduction in pain from baseline to post-intervention (Hedges’ g = −0.54, 95% CI: −0.82 to −0.26, p < .001). The between-group meta-analysis of randomized trials also showed a significant, although smaller, effect favoring group medical visits over control conditions (Hedges’ g = −0.24, 95% CI: −0.44 to −0.05, p = .01). Discussion and Implications Pain intensity improved in older adults enrolled in group medical visits. Although the magnitude of effect is modest when compared to control conditions, findings suggest that group medical visits may be a successful model of care. Future research should focus on identifying characteristics of group medical visits that contribute most to improved outcomes.