Essential pain management: an educational program for health care workers.

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• Medical Education
• Pain Management

Background:

• Limited access to pain management education in low and middle-income countries (LMICs).
• Development of the Essential Pain Management (EPM) program to address this educational gap.
• EPM offers a simple, interactive educational opportunity for healthcare workers in LMICs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the EPM program in improving pain knowledge and management skills.
• To assess the program's suitability for a
• teach the teachers

Main Methods:

• Needs analysis conducted in Papua New Guinea to inform program development.
• An 8-hour educational program was created, focusing on pain knowledge and a management framework.
• Program evaluation utilized the Kirkpatrick model, including a "teach the teachers" component for sustainability.

Main Results:

• The EPM program has been implemented in 30 countries, training 1,600 participants and 340 instructors.
• Pre- and post-testing showed a significant improvement in scores, from 65.89% to 75.23% (n=581).
• Training by local instructors yielded comparable results to those taught by overseas trainers, indicating program efficacy and adaptability.

Conclusions:

• The broad adoption of EPM confirms a critical need for pain education in LMICs.
• The "teach the teachers" model and positive outcomes support the program's sustainability.
• Ongoing support via electronic platforms can further enhance long-term program sustainability and impact.