The EVMS pain education initiative: a multifaceted approach to resident education

Chronic pain is a major health issue that causes significant patient morbidity as well as economic loss. Many studies have highlighted the lack of training in chronic pain management for resident physicians and the need to develop programs that address the challenges of providing care to chronic pain patients. We wanted to determine whether a workshop using a combination of standardized patients, small groups, and large group lectures addresses residents' curricular needs regarding chronic pain management. We developed a 1-day workshop for residents at Eastern Virginia Medical School, which has a nationally recognized professional skills center. After completing the workshop, residents showed significant gains in knowledge (post-test vs pre-test overall mean +23.4%, P < .001). Significant gains in clinical skills were also seen (overall +5.9%, P < .001) with improvements in the areas of pain assessment (+6.3%, P < .001), physical examination (+7.7%, P < .03), and pain management (+8%, P < .01). Physicians also reported increased comfort regarding chronic pain management. Almost all residents stated they would make specific practice changes in the assessment and management of chronic pain patients. The results suggest our workshop is a novel model that is effective in teaching residents how to assess and manage chronic pain.

This article demonstrates that the use of standardized patients with other teaching methods is an effective approach in teaching resident physicians regarding the assessment and management of chronic pain patients. The findings have the potential to restructure our methods of teaching in chronic pain education.