Cultural cues: review of qualitative evidence of patient-centered care in patients with nonmalignant chronic pain.

The purpose of this paper was to examine published qualitative studies that explored the beliefs, values, and behaviors of patients with nonmalignant chronic pain during their interactions with the healthcare system. The findings were used as "cultural cues" to create patient-centered care. A literature review of primary qualitative studies that focused on beliefs, values, or behaviors of patients with chronic nonmalignant pain in the formal healthcare setting was conducted. CINAHL, Medline, Pubmed, PsychInfo, Sociology Abstracts, Cochrane Library Database, Proquest Dissertation and Thesis, and EmBase served as the database for the research. The findings from the studies fell into two categories: beliefs and expectations about appropriate treatment and the behaviors patients may exhibit if they perceive they are not receiving appropriate treatment. Qualitative findings showed that the beliefs, values, and behaviors of patients with nonmalignant chronic pain exhibited during their interactions with the healthcare system created a set of "cultural cues" for providers.