FPM calls for implant oversight

09 April 2024

The Faculty of Pain Medicine, the Australian Pain Society and Chronic Pain Australia say the 8 April ABC Four Corners program highlighted the need for a national pain device implant registry and a national model of implanted pain treatment care to protect patients.

Australia’s peak pain sector bodies representing specialist pain medicine physicians, multidisciplinary pain clinicians, and consumers, are calling for tougher controls to restrict who can perform pain implant device procedures following a recent media report. 

A national model of implanted pain treatment care would dictate who would be allowed to provide this service as well as the type of patients who would receive them, and the system of care that would be needed to support the treatment.  FPM is the only organisation in Australia that provides systematic, supervised training in the use of pain device implants which should be used sparingly and only as part of a multidisciplinary team approach treating patients in pain.

PM Vice-Dean Dr Dilip Kapur says there is no standardised training for pain implant procedures in Australia. Restrictions are needed over who can perform these to foster safety and high-quality patient care in pain medicine. 

Read our media release.