"Shining a light on chronic pain": A qualitative study of stakeholder views towards chronic pain at work and the Pain-at-Work Toolkit

Angela Claire Thornton; Elaine Wainwright; Wendy J. Chaplin; Victoria Abbott-Fleming; Daniel F. McWilliams; David A. Walsh; Gordon Taylor; Paul McNamee; Karen Walker-Bone; Holly Blake

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0351938

"Shining a light on chronic pain": A qualitative study of stakeholder views towards chronic pain at work and the Pain-at-Work Toolkit

Angela Claire Thornton
, Elaine Wainwright
, Wendy J. Chaplin
, Victoria Abbott-Fleming
, Daniel F. McWilliams
, David A. Walsh
, Gordon Taylor
, Paul McNamee
, Karen Walker-Bone
, Holly Blake

University of Nottingham
NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre
Aberdeen Centre for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Health
British Pain Society
University of Nottingham Medical School
University of Exeter
University of Aberdeen
Monash University

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

PURPOSE: The study explored the views of organisational stakeholders who participated in the feasibility trial of the Pain-at-Work Toolkit towards the implementation of the toolkit in 'real-world' workplace settings. This digital toolkit was co-created with healthcare professionals, employers, and people with chronic pain and aimed to inform and enable individuals to self-manage their chronic pain at work. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with 15 stakeholders from 12 organisations that participated in a feasibility trial of the Pain-at-Work Toolkit. Purposive sampling was used to ensure the inclusion of stakeholders with management or supportive roles who have responsibility for the health and wellbeing of employees. FINDINGS: The findings illuminate three key themes: not all disabilities are visible; not all line managers are equal; and who has control? These surmise that invisible disabilities such as chronic pain are underestimated, poorly understood, and inconsistently provisioned for in organisational policies. It highlights the key role that line managers play in employee disclosure and access to support but demonstrates that line managers vary in their delivery of support to employees. Lastly, it explores stakeholder perceptions of the roles of the employer relative to the employee with chronic pain. It confirms the need for additional resources to plug organisational gaps and give workers tools to self-manage their pain at work. ORIGINALITY: This study indicates the need for resources / supports to upskill line managers so they can intervene to proactively support employees with chronic pain to reduce sickness absence and presenteeism (working when unwell). The research demonstrates organisational stakeholders' interest in a multi-faceted approach to help employees self-manage chronic pain in all types at work, such as that provided by the Pain-at-Work Toolkit. In addition, it clearly identifies the potential for complementary resources to educate and facilitate line managers to better support their staff.

Original language	English
Article number	e0351938
Number of pages	25
Journal	PLoS ONE
Volume	21
Issue number	7
Early online date	2 Jul 2026
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0351938
Publication status	Published - 2 Jul 2026

Data Availability Statement

The datasets generated and/or analysed during the current study are not publicly available due to the sensitive and potentially identifiable nature of qualitative interview data. Although transcripts have been anonymised, the small sample size and inclusion of detailed professional roles and organisational contexts mean that participants may be identifiable. Participants consented to the use of anonymised quotations in publications but did not provide consent for full transcripts to be shared publicly. De-identified excerpts of data that support the findings of this study are included within the article and its supplementary materials. Information provided in S1 Table allows for replication of the study. Requests for further de-identified data can be made by contacting the corresponding author, or the University of Nottingham Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee ([email protected]; Ref: FMHS 237-0323) for researchers who meet the criteria for access to confidential data and where the request is in line with ethical and data protection requirements.

Funding

This study was financially supported by the Nuffield Foundation’s Oliver Bird Fund and Arthritis UK in the form of a grant awarded to HB (OBF/FR-000023820). The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the funders. No additional external funding was received for this study. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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10.1371/journal.pone.0351938Licence: CC BY

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Thornton, A. C., Wainwright, E., Chaplin, W. J., Abbott-Fleming, V., McWilliams, D. F., Walsh, D. A., Taylor, G., McNamee, P., Walker-Bone, K., & Blake, H. (2026). "Shining a light on chronic pain": A qualitative study of stakeholder views towards chronic pain at work and the Pain-at-Work Toolkit. PLoS ONE, 21(7), Article e0351938. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0351938

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"Shining a light on chronic pain": A qualitative study of stakeholder views towards chronic pain at work and the Pain-at-Work Toolkit

Abstract

Data Availability Statement

Funding

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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