Better Pain Management program

Our aim is to present unbiased, prioritised, educational messages as interestingly, engagingly and as accessibly as possible while emphasising core themes in pain medicine to capture the attention of the professionals engaged in the care of patients with persistent pain.

The demonstrable, independent governance of this program is its great strength. An independent Curriculum Development Committee was formed to select topics, which were then forwarded to a Faculty education committee to select and invite specialists to represent the faculty as content providers and writers of each topic.

The modules have been developed with clearly defined learning objectives and have used illustrations and animations to make them engaging. They are case study based, interactive, and include questionnaires to ensure effective comprehension and completion of each unit.

Twelve modules have been developed that cover the following topics. 

Module 1: Making an effective pain diagnosis: a whole person approach
Understand the importance of a whole person approach to pain assessment, including awareness of important pathophysiological pathways and the complexities underlying pain experiences. 
 
Module 2: The impact and management of psychological factors in pain
Recognise patients at risk for long-term distress and disability. Develop a management plan for psychosocial comorbidities in patients with chronic pain. 

Module 3: A whole person approach to chronic pain 
Comprehensively assess and manage complex chronic pain presentations. Educate patients about multidisciplinary pain management. 

Module 4: Identification and management of neuropathic pain in the primary care setting
Use a systematic assessment to diagnose neuropathic pain, including how to distinguish between neuropathic and nociceptive pain. Develop a treatment plan to address common comorbidities, including when referral is indicated. 
 
Module 5: Identification and management of low back pain in the primary care setting
Develop an evidence-based approach to assessing low back pain, with a focus on using practical, effective and time-efficient strategies. Understand why a multimodal vs. unimodal approach to low back pain is more effective.  

Module 6: Opioids in pain management
Initiate and monitor opioid therapy appropriately in patients with non-malignant chronic pain. Includes resources such as the Opioid Risk Tool for assessing a patients’s risk of problematic opioid behaviour.  

Module 7: Pharmacology of pain medicine
Develop an understanding of analgesic medications and mechanisms present in chronic pain to drive rational prescribing.  

Module 8: Non-joint musculoskeletal pains 
Explore less understood causes of chronic musculoskeletal pain. 

Module 9: Post-discharge acute pain management
Learn about current evidence and best practice in the management of post-surgical acute pain in the community. 

Module 10: Understanding pain-related procedures 
Commonly performed procedures for pain reduction explained in detail. 

Module 11: High-dose problematic opioid use
Unravel this complex problem by understanding the influences that drive high opioid use within vulnerable patients.  

Module 12: Pain in children
Appreciate the differences between adult pain and acute and chronic pain in children to improve your practice.

For participants of the ANZCA/FPM Continuing Professional Development (CPD) program, completion of the modules accrues CPD credits (or may be cited as evidence of satisfying CPD requirements) under knowledge and skills.

Due to the varying CPD programs of nursing and allied health groups, no standard CPD value has been assigned to the modules. Participants should seek advice from their professional organisation. Completion of this activity may be cited as evidence of satisfying CPD requirements for AHPRA registered practitioners.