Mandatory Pain Management Education
Has its time come?
Pain and its management is a significant problem in our country. This is no secret that abuse of the system and needless suffering occurs every day. There are several barriers that stand in the way of resolving these problems. Here are just a few:
When looking at these barriers, there is a common thread - Lack of Education. First and foremost, in order to improve the care of patients with pain, formal education is a necessity. When I say formal education, I mean a standardized and robust curriculum that addresses both the basic and the controversial aspects of pain and its management. And although there are some wonderful programs and courses out there, I don't mean a requirement for a few CEUs here and there that people can breeze through for the sake of saying they did it. People need to really learn and better understand the complexities of these problems and understand how to properly treat them. If they had a sound understanding, then they should have no problems or fear of legal and regulatory agencies questioning their practice. I feel a lot of their concern and fear relates to their lack of knowledge and understanding of the issues involved with pain and its management.
Pain and pain syndromes are not going to go away. Mandatory education for all health care professionals, political and health care business/insurance workers, and anyone else who is involved with health care should be considered. It is necessary. Although we all have busy lives, it is time to demand some accountability for the standards of practice in pain management.
It is time for formalized education and training to be made available. It can take a variety of approaches and a blended approach would be best. Online courses, traditional class courses, teleconferences, mini lectures, should all be considered as ways to provide a standardized curriculum. The material can be tailored to different audiences so everyone gets what they need.
There is a tremendous need for professionals to join in the tasks of educating our peers and colleagues. There is one organization that has developed within the past few years to assist in this incredible undertaking. The American Society of Pain Educators under the executive direction and leadership of Barry Eliott Cole, MD, MPA was created for the task of developing qualified and credentialed pain educators. These people go out and teach others about the diagnosis and treatment of pain syndromes.
In its 2-year existence, the ASPE has wasted no time in developing learning opportunities. During October 2004, the ASPE designed and launched a curriculum for pharmaceutical reps-educating them on the proper use of medications for pain and its management.
I also encourage more colleges and universities to offer significant programs and online courses to assist in the education process. Here is a list of organizations that offer pain management education. I encourage people to take this list and make it available to all health care practitioners and people involved in the many facets of the health care system.
Related Topics: Pain Awareness and Management, The Cost of Pain
Pain and its management is a significant problem in our country. This is no secret that abuse of the system and needless suffering occurs every day. There are several barriers that stand in the way of resolving these problems. Here are just a few:
- Lack of formal education for health care providers on the topics and issues related to pain and its management
- Lack of formal education for people involved in the appropriation of funding for healthcare.
- Lack of standardization for diagnosing and treating pain syndromes
- Lack of commitment by the health care professions to devote time to the proper education and training necessary to be competent and effective in their roles in this area of practice.
When looking at these barriers, there is a common thread - Lack of Education. First and foremost, in order to improve the care of patients with pain, formal education is a necessity. When I say formal education, I mean a standardized and robust curriculum that addresses both the basic and the controversial aspects of pain and its management. And although there are some wonderful programs and courses out there, I don't mean a requirement for a few CEUs here and there that people can breeze through for the sake of saying they did it. People need to really learn and better understand the complexities of these problems and understand how to properly treat them. If they had a sound understanding, then they should have no problems or fear of legal and regulatory agencies questioning their practice. I feel a lot of their concern and fear relates to their lack of knowledge and understanding of the issues involved with pain and its management.
Pain and pain syndromes are not going to go away. Mandatory education for all health care professionals, political and health care business/insurance workers, and anyone else who is involved with health care should be considered. It is necessary. Although we all have busy lives, it is time to demand some accountability for the standards of practice in pain management.
It is time for formalized education and training to be made available. It can take a variety of approaches and a blended approach would be best. Online courses, traditional class courses, teleconferences, mini lectures, should all be considered as ways to provide a standardized curriculum. The material can be tailored to different audiences so everyone gets what they need.
There is a tremendous need for professionals to join in the tasks of educating our peers and colleagues. There is one organization that has developed within the past few years to assist in this incredible undertaking. The American Society of Pain Educators under the executive direction and leadership of Barry Eliott Cole, MD, MPA was created for the task of developing qualified and credentialed pain educators. These people go out and teach others about the diagnosis and treatment of pain syndromes.
In its 2-year existence, the ASPE has wasted no time in developing learning opportunities. During October 2004, the ASPE designed and launched a curriculum for pharmaceutical reps-educating them on the proper use of medications for pain and its management.
I also encourage more colleges and universities to offer significant programs and online courses to assist in the education process. Here is a list of organizations that offer pain management education. I encourage people to take this list and make it available to all health care practitioners and people involved in the many facets of the health care system.
Related Topics: Pain Awareness and Management, The Cost of Pain
Tags:
0 Comments:
Post a Comment