How can the standards be used?

How can the standards be used?

Given the multidimensional nature of pain, and each individual’s unique experience, the standards provide a key enabler to supporting training in the knowledge, skills, competencies and values required to support person-centred pain management. Person-centred pain education means training health professionals to listen deeply, to understand each person’s unique needs, priorities and preferences and to provide meaningful, evidence-based, supportive person-centred self-management and clinical care. These concepts are embedded in the standards because they are important to include in pain management education and training. 

The Australian Standards for Health Practitioner Pain Management Education establish a blueprint for educators working in the pain field to guide training of the Australian health workforce in a coherent and congruent way. 

Why does person-centred care matter?

The standards reflect the growing awareness about the burden and impact of pain, from perspectives of the community, people with lived pain experience, carers, clinicians supporting those living with pain, health professional colleges, consumer advocacy bodies, policy makers, tertiary institutions and other organisations. The ripple effect of this burden and the enduring impact on individuals, their families, friends and the community, is profound. Ensuring that cross-discipline health professional pain management education training addresses this burden and lessens the impact reflects education of the highest standard. 

How can the standards help achieve high quality, person-centred pain management? 

The application of the standards will help ensure that the Australian health workforce is well prepared to support person-centred pain care, with a focus on improving patient outcomes and quality of life. The standards position training efforts to support a shared understanding of pain, thereby making pain better recognised, assessed, understood, matter and managed in a person-centred way. The standards establish clear expectations and measurable benchmarks that educators can use to assess excellence in pain management education and for agreed-upon levels of competencies to support quality person-centred care. The standards also serve as a reference for health professional accreditation and appraisal.  

Educators, institutions, and organisations can help support the adoption and adaptation of the standards within their unique educational contexts. Understanding what the standards are, and how these standards can be implemented and adopted within cross-discipline health curricula, will support current and future pain education training efforts, with the ultimate aim of improving people’s health outcomes, social connection, function and quality of life.