Table 4.

Supporting the Patient-Clinician Relationship

Patient-clinician barrier	EMPOWER method designed to address this barrier
Mutual distrust	- The study materials and program provide a manualized guide, flexibility for individual decision-making, and regular capture of multidimensional data to ensure patients are improving - EMPOWER is comparing two behavioral treatments that emphasize patient agency, autonomy, and symptom self-management (2/3 of enrolled patients will receive either group cognitive behavioral therapy classes or group pain self-management classes). ,16]
Imbalanced decision-making	- Shared decision-making regarding the taper and pain care. EMPOWER promotes partnership between patients and clinicians to foster this bond

Patient-clinician barrier

EMPOWER method designed to address this barrier

Mutual distrust

- The study materials and program provide a manualized guide, flexibility for individual decision-making, and regular capture of multidimensional data to ensure patients are improving

- EMPOWER is comparing two behavioral treatments that emphasize patient agency, autonomy, and symptom self-management (2/3 of enrolled patients will receive either group cognitive behavioral therapy classes or group pain self-management classes).

,16]

Imbalanced decision-making

- Shared decision-making regarding the taper and pain care. EMPOWER promotes partnership between patients and clinicians to foster this bond