Clinical outcomes from The BodyMind Approach™ in the treatment of patients with medically unexplained symptoms in primary health care in England: practice-based evidence

Abstract

This article builds on Payne (2015) and reports on practice–based evidence arising out of the delivery of a new and innovative service using The BodyMind Approach™ (TBMA) for the treatment of patients with medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) in primary care in the National Health Service (NHS) in Hertfordshire, a county near London, England, in the UK. The analysis of data collected for three groups (N=16) over 18 months used standardised assessment tools and other relevant information at pre, post and at a six month follow up. The outcomes for patients in this small scale piece of practice based evidence indicated that there were reductions in symptom distress, anxiety and depression, increased overall wellbeing and improvement in activity levels. Patients developed self-management of their symptoms through understanding, acceptance and coping strategies. The increased knowledge, exchange of experiences together with understanding and acceptance from others promoted a sense of wellbeing. Thus, the programme was experienced to be a beneficial intervention. In addition to the clinical outcomes reported here there are other benefits for NHS England for example, savings on medication and referral costs and General Practitioner (GP) capacity enhanced. The clinical service is based on previous research conducted by Payne and Stott (2010). This article focusses solely on the analysis and interpretation of clinical outcomes from the practice-based evidence. Keywords: The BodyMind Approach™; medically unexplained symptoms; primary care; practice-based evidence Introduction