Patient-friendly summary
If you read nothing else
Bottom line
Workplace-delivered digital self-management tools show promise for easing chronic pain and improving quality of life in working adults, but the small number of moderate-to-low quality studies means no firm conclusions or 'best' approach can yet be recommended.
Preliminary evidencePublished
Evidence hierarchy
Study participants
Vocationally active adults with chronic pain recruited via their workplace, predominantly office/white-collar workers, in France, Spain, Japan, Jordan, South Korea and the USA
Study Summary
This systematic review examined whether digital interventions (mobile apps, computer- or web-based programmes) delivered through the workplace can help vocationally active adults self-manage chronic pain. Seven articles reporting eight intervention studies (1522 participants total, mostly office workers across six countries) met inclusion criteria. The authors found that such workplace-delivered digital interventions may improve pain and health-related quality of life, but the evidence was moderate-to-low quality and too heterogeneous to pool in a meta-analysis. Most interventions focused narrowly on short exercise routines, and very few addressed psychological support, broader self-management strategies, or work-related adjustments and outcomes.
Key Findings
| Finding | Detail | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Workplace digital interventions may improve pain | All eight included studies measured at least one pain outcome, and most showed a statistically significant improvement in pain at follow-up. | High |
| Quality of life improved across studies that measured it | Five studies included a measure of health-related quality of life; despite using different instruments, all reported a significant improvement following the intervention. | High |
| Interventions were dominated by exercise, neglecting other self-management aspects | Six of eight studies used interventions that included exercise (usually short 1-7 minute stretching/mobilization routines); few considered psychological support, behavioural strategies, or other facets of pain self-management. | High |
| Work-related adjustments and outcomes were largely absent | No interventions included advice on work-related adjustments or support, and few studies measured workplace outcomes such as absenteeism or presenteeism, despite chronic pain's known impact on work. | Medium |
| Psychological outcomes rarely improved | Seven studies included a psychological outcome measure, but only two reported improvements (one in work-related fear avoidance, one on the STarT Back psychological subscale). | Medium |
| Evidence quality limited conclusions | Studies were moderate-to-low quality with high heterogeneity in design, interventions and outcomes, preventing meta-analysis; only two studies had low risk of bias and the remainder were moderate risk. | High |
All eight included studies measured at least one pain outcome, and most showed a statistically significant improvement in pain at follow-up.
Five studies included a measure of health-related quality of life; despite using different instruments, all reported a significant improvement following the intervention.
Six of eight studies used interventions that included exercise (usually short 1-7 minute stretching/mobilization routines); few considered psychological support, behavioural strategies, or other facets of pain self-management.
No interventions included advice on work-related adjustments or support, and few studies measured workplace outcomes such as absenteeism or presenteeism, despite chronic pain's known impact on work.
Seven studies included a psychological outcome measure, but only two reported improvements (one in work-related fear avoidance, one on the STarT Back psychological subscale).
Studies were moderate-to-low quality with high heterogeneity in design, interventions and outcomes, preventing meta-analysis; only two studies had low risk of bias and the remainder were moderate risk.
Strengths
- Pre-registered with PROSPERO and conducted according to PRISMA 2020 reporting standards
- Comprehensive search across nine databases plus grey literature and hand-searching of reference lists
- Dual independent screening, data extraction checks, and dual independent risk-of-bias assessment (86.96% initial agreement)
- Addresses an under-researched but high-burden topic - work-related self-management of chronic pain
- Transparent narrative synthesis reporting between-group differences for each study
Limitations
- Only seven articles (eight studies) met inclusion criteria, limiting the strength of conclusions
- Included studies were moderate-to-low quality, with only two at low risk of bias
- High heterogeneity in study design, interventions and outcome measures meant a meta-analysis could not be performed
- Interventions were heavily focused on exercise, with little coverage of psychological, behavioural or work-specific self-management
- Few studies measured work-related outcomes (e.g. absenteeism, presenteeism), and no interventions addressed workplace adjustments
- Restricted to English-language publications and no studies from UK employment settings were found
- Participants were predominantly office/white-collar workers, limiting generalizability to other occupations
Key Takeaways for Patients
What This Means for You
- 01If you have ongoing pain while working, digital tools delivered through your workplace - like phone apps or web programmes with short stretching and mobilization routines - may help reduce pain and improve quality of life.
- 02Most of these programmes focus mainly on brief exercise (often just 1-7 minutes), so they may not address the emotional or psychological side of living with chronic pain.
- 03These tools could be a useful extra source of support, especially if you are waiting for or cannot easily access clinical services such as occupational therapy.
- 04The research is still early and of limited quality, so there is no clear 'best' programme yet, and results may vary from person to person.
- 05Almost none of these programmes covered practical workplace adjustments, so you may still need to discuss accommodations directly with your employer or occupational health service.
Read the Full Paper
Access the complete peer-reviewed study from British Medical Bulletin
View Full Study