Introduction to Pain Management for Third-Year Medical Students Team-Based Learning Module

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Pain Management
• Family Medicine

Background:

• Pain is a common primary care complaint with diverse etiologies and treatments.
• The Centers for Disease Control issued opioid prescribing guidelines in 2016 to mitigate mortality.
• Effective pain management education is crucial for clinicians.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce third-year medical students to the treatment of nociceptive and neuropathic pain.
• To apply team-based learning (TBL) principles in a family medicine clinical clerkship.
• To align pain management education with current opioid prescribing guidelines.

Main Methods:

• A 1-hour TBL module was developed for third-year medical students.
• Students engaged with online pre-reading materials.
• Individual readiness assessment tests (iRAT), group readiness assessment tests (gRAT) using Immediate Feedback-Assessment Technique cards, and team application (tAPP) questions were administered.

Main Results:

• The module was delivered to over 400 students across 2 years.
• Average iRAT scores were 80%, gRAT scores were nearly 100%, and tAPP scores were approximately 70%.
• Students consistently rated the module highly (≥4 on a 5-point Likert scale) with positive qualitative feedback.

Conclusions:

• The TBL module provides an effective introduction to pain management for medical students.
• The module can be integrated into existing clinical clerkship curricula.
• This TBL framework can be expanded for more advanced pain management training.