Pain education in North American medical schools

Acute pain in undergraduate medical education: an unfinished chapter!

Inadequately treated acute pain is a global healthcare problem that causes significant patient suffering and disability, risk of chronicity, increased resource utilization, and escalating healthcare costs. Compounding the problem is the lack of adequate instruction in acute pain management available in medical schools worldwide. Incorporating acute pain diagnosis and management as an integral part of the medical school curriculum will allow physicians to develop a more comprehensive, compassionate approach to treating patients with acute pain syndromes and should be considered a healthcare imperative. In this article, we review the current status of pain education in educational institutions across the world, focusing on achievements, lacunae, and inadequacies. We appeal to all concerned--pain management specialists, health educators, and policymakers--to consider incorporating education on acute pain and its management at undergraduate medical levels in an integrated manner.

Interprofessional pain education: definitions, exemplars and future directions

1. The management of pain frequently requires healthcare professionals (HCPs) to work together; thus, educational preparation should afford them opportunities to learn about the management of pain together. 2. Survey data suggest that most HCPs' curricula do not provide opportunities for learners to come together to learn about pain and understand their professional roles. 3. Despite the growth of published evaluations of interprofessional education (IPE) and pain, the ability to draw firm conclusions has been hampered by the lack of methodological heterogeneity across studies. 4. New directions in IPE and pain include innovative pedagogical approaches, web-based learning, standardised patients and simulated learning. 5. Harnessing the political agenda can offer a valuable opportunity to raise the profile and prominence of pain education for HCPs.