The effect of nature exposure on pain experience and quality of life in patients with chronic pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 18; no. 9; p. e0291053
• Main Authors: Lee, Matthew J, Pradeep, Aishwarya, Lobner, Katie, Badaki-Makun, Oluwakemi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: San Francisco Public Library of Science 28-09-2023; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Analgesics; Analysis; Anxiety; Care and treatment; Chronic illnesses; Chronic pain; Clinical trials; Decision making; Drug overdose; Exposure; Health; Health aspects; Intervention; Long-term effects; Medical treatment; Medicine and Health Sciences; Mental health; Meta-analysis; Nursing; Opioids; Pain; Patient outcomes; Patients; Pharmacology; Physical Sciences; Quality of life; Registration; Research and Analysis Methods; Skewness; Study Protocol; Systematic review; Therapy; Urban planning; United States
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0291053

Background Chronic pain is a complex condition with short and long-term effects on physical and psychosocial health. Nature exposure therapy has been investigated as a potential non-pharmacological intervention to improve physical and emotional health of individuals with chronic pain. This proposed systematic review aims to examine the effects of nature exposure therapy on pain experience and quality of life in patients with chronic pain. Methods Studies will be identified by searching the MEDLINE, Embase and Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) databases. All included studies will be required to be interventional controlled trials comparing nature exposure therapy to placebo or standard care in patients with chronic pain. Primary outcomes for this review will be pain intensity and quality of life scores. Secondary outcomes will include self-efficacy, depression and pain-related anxiety scores. If 2 or more studies are included, results will be pooled for meta-analysis. If meta-analysis is not possible, the results will be presented in a narrative form. Discussion Given the adverse effects of opioid use, non-pharmacological interventions are a necessary alternative to treat patients with chronic pain. Nature exposure therapy is an intriguing example of such an intervention. We hope that this systematic review will guide future clinical decision-making for patients with chronic pain and provide evidence for or against the need for natural spaces and improved urban planning. Trial registration PROSPERO registration number: CRD42021226949.