Criteria
Standard 3: The content of education and training on pain management for health practitioners is evidence-based.
To meet the overarching evidence-based education standard, the pain management education and training is in line with the following standards and criteria:
3.1 - The content of education and training on pain and its management is based on the best available evidence.
Criteria to meet this standard:
- Underpins content with the best available evidence.
- Cites the evidence underpinning education and training content and makes this available to the learner when possible.
- Promotes the learner’s engagement with reputable information sources (examples include but are not limited to clinical practice guidelines, peer-reviewed journals, recognised/reputable organisations).
3.2 - The content of education and training on pain management is underpinned by the best evidence fundamental to understanding the pain experience.
Criteria to meet this standard:
- Promotes application of the International Association for the Study of Pain’s definition of “pain” and the Declaration of Montreal and their corresponding implications for practice appropriate to the health practitioner’s role and scope of practice.
- Promotes an understanding of pain mechanisms and contemporary pain theories.
- Promotes an understanding of the psychological, social, cultural and other contextual factors contributing to a person's experience of pain.
- Promotes an understanding of different types of pain (for example, duration, underlying processes, location, function) and the impact on the person’s pain experience.
3.3 - The content of education and training on pain management is underpinned by the best available evidence on strategies and skills to manage the pain experienced by people.
Criteria to meet this standard (as appropriate to the learning outcomes):
- Develops clinical reasoning and critical thinking relevant to the management of people experiencing pain, and appropriate to the health practitioner’s role and scope of practice.
- Includes evidence-based approaches to pain assessment and its interpretation.
- Incorporates evidence-based approaches to managing different types of pain.
- Includes the provision of education to people and their significant/relevant others about pain, relevant to the person’s needs and situation.
- Includes evidence-based, non-pharmacological, physical strategies for management of pain, including promotion of clinical approaches when appropriate (examples include but are not limited to exercise, physical therapies, behavioural approaches, sleep management).
- Includes evidence-based, psychological strategies for management of pain (examples include but are not limited to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Acceptance Commitment Therapy, mindfulness therapy).
- Includes evidence-based interventions to promote social support for people experiencing pain.
- Includes evidence-based information on topical and systemic pain medicines including prescribing and administration, when necessary.
- Includes the safe use of pain medicines and recognition of associated harms (for example, dependence, overuse, polypharmacy).
- Includes evidence-based surgical strategies and procedural techniques for the management of pain.
3.4 - Education and training on pain management encourages health practitioners to develop skills in accessing, evaluating and generating evidence.
Criteria to meet this standard:
- Promotes the importance of continuing professional development to maintain evidence-based practice.
- Encourages health practitioners to regularly access and review evidence as a component of their clinical practice.
- Incorporates and/or promotes critical thinking when evaluating evidence sources.
- Encourages learners to reflect on the application of available evidence to different cultural settings, communities and diverse populations.
- Promotes the learner’s engagement with, and implementation of, pain management research (examples include but are not limited to participation in research opportunities, translational research, clinical audit, case reviews).
Understanding this standard
Evidence-based approaches to pain management are fundamental to provision of high-quality health care. The intent of this standard is to ensure that education and training on pain management for health practitioners is underpinned by robust and contemporary evidence and promotes implementation of evidence-based practice that is appropriate and relevant to the needs of the diverse range of individuals who experience pain.
“To ensure that future healthcare users can be assured of receiving such care, healthcare professions must effectively incorporate the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes required for evidence-based practice into education programmes … In addition to developing competence in the fundamental evidence-based practice steps of ‘Ask’, ‘Acquire’, ‘Appraise’, ‘Apply’ and ‘Assess’, developing competence in effectively communicating evidence to others, in particular patients/service users, is an area newly emphasised as requiring additional attention by healthcare educators.” 46 p.103
Note: All references supporting this information can be found in the full Australian Standards for Health Practitioner Pain Management Education document.
Evidence-based practice (EBP) is the foundation of high-quality healthcare. Evidence-based pain management practice refers to the use of the best available evidence together with the clinical expertise of the health practitioner and the preferences of the individual experiencing pain to inform decisions about the individual’s healthcare.50,51 Implementation of EBP is supported by clinical practice guidelines, standards of practice, clinical care standards and clinical pathways.52
Note: All references supporting this information can be found in the full Australian Standards for Health Practitioner Pain Management Education document.
Pain management education at all stages of a health practitioner’s career must be evidence-based and promote the knowledge and skills to implement EBP. This is particularly important given the ever expanding and changing evidence base and knowledge regarding the most effective, efficient and appropriate pain management treatment and management approaches.
However, research continues to show gaps between EBP and the clinical care49,53 received by individuals experiencing pain. The evidence-based education standard seeks to address this gap by embedding an expectation of evidence-based content as underpinning all pain management education. This includes conveying the fundamental science required to understand the experience of pain, as well as management strategies supported by evidence.
Note: All references supporting this information can be found in the full Australian Standards for Health Practitioner Pain Management Education document.
To support evidence-based education, the standards recognise the International Association for the Study of Pain’s pain curricula54 as a source that provides foundation knowledge for health practitioners of all disciplines on the experience of pain. Other high level evidence sources include clinical guidelines and clinical care standards (non-exhaustive examples of which are referenced)52,55-59 governing pain management or health conditions for which pain is a major feature.
When developing pain management education courses or activities, educators must seek out sources from recognised organisations and guideline development groups and access the most recent research on pain and its management.
Note: All references supporting this information can be found in the full Australian Standards for Health Practitioner Pain Management Education document.
Apart from increasing health practitioners’ knowledge and understanding regarding pain and its management, it is also important that learners develop the academic skills to interact with evidence on pain and its management. This includes skills in accessing, analysing and implementing the best available evidence, as well as contributing to quality improvement through service-wide evidence translation activities and research generation. This skill set is outlined in the standards/criteria for Australian health practitioners.60,61
Pain management education should support these skills by ensuring health practitioners develop and maintain their competence and confidence to engage with and apply evidence in their pain management practice. The evidence-based education standard reinforces the expectation that Australian health practitioners working with individuals experiencing pain will develop and maintain competency in translating evidence to practice.
Note: All references supporting this information can be found in the full Australian Standards for Health Practitioner Pain Management Education document.
Key documents
Explore the other standards
Education and training on pain management for health practitioners promotes a person-centred approach to care.
Education and training on pain management for health practitioners is developed and delivered in alignment with best practice approaches to learning and teaching.
Education and training on pain management actively engages learners in reflective practice and self-awareness.
Education and training on pain management develops a health practitioner’s understanding of, and effective skills in, communicating with people experiencing pain.
Education and training on pain management for health practitioners embeds a collaborative approach to pain management.