First national standards for pain management education
Australia’s first national standards to improve the quality and consistency of pain management education are now available.
Led by the Faculty of Pain Medicine (FPM) of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) the “Australian Standards for Health Practitioner Pain Management Education” were developed with support from the Australian government.
The standards and supporting resources are available at: https://www.anzca.edu.au/pain-education-standards
Pain is a major public health issue affecting millions of Australians and contributing to significant social and economic burden. Despite this, many people with pain continue to receive suboptimal care, in part due to gaps in pain management education across the health workforce.
The standards provide a nationally consistent framework to guide pain education and training and are the first of their kind in Australia and internationally. They are designed to guide high-quality, contemporary pain management education across all health disciplines and all levels of training. Their development delivers the first goal of the National Strategy for Health Practitioner Pain Management Education, and establishes a clear strategic roadmap to guide the upskilling of the Australian health workforce in contemporary, evidence-based pain care with the aim of improving the health outcomes of people living with pain.
FPM Dean, specialist pain medicine physician, Dr Dilip Kapur said the standards recognise the complexity of pain and the need for a more person-centred approach to care:
“A key principle underpinning the standards is recognising the diversity of the Australian population and the influence of social, cultural and demographic factors on how pain is experienced and managed.”
The standards were informed by broad consultation with clinicians, educators, consumers, minority groups and key stakeholder organisations across Australia.
They provide guidance for those who deliver, design and commission pain management education and are relevant to all health practitioners involved in the care of people with acute or chronic pain.
The standards focus on core areas including person-centred care, communication, evidence-based practice, best practice education, reflective learning and collaborative approaches to care.
FPM will continue to work with governments, education providers and health services to support the implementation and uptake of the standards across the health and education systems.
