Needs-based novel digital curriculum for the neuromodulation training deficit: Pain Rounds

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Pain Medicine
• Digital Health

Background:

• Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) education for pain medicine trainees exhibits significant variability.
• Physician expertise in SCS is linked to utilization patterns and patient outcomes.
• A need exists for standardized, comprehensive SCS training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of a novel, comprehensive SCS digital curriculum for pain medicine trainees.
• To address the documented variability in SCS education.
• To empower physicians with essential SCS expertise.

Main Methods:

• Needs-based development of a three-part e-learning video curriculum.
• Inclusion of baseline and post-course knowledge tests.
• Study conducted from February 2020 to December 2020 with 202 US-based pain fellows across two cohorts.

Main Results:

• Both early and late fellowship cohorts showed significant knowledge score increases across all curriculum parts (p<0.001).
• The early-fellowship cohort demonstrated a higher knowledge gain rate in Parts I and II (p=0.045 and p=0.027).
• Participants viewed an average of 67% of the video content, with prior experience correlating with baseline scores.

Conclusions:

• The "Pain Rounds" digital curriculum offers an effective solution to the deficit in SCS education.
• The curriculum demonstrates feasibility and effectiveness in enhancing trainee knowledge.
• Further controlled studies are warranted to assess the long-term impact on clinical practice and patient outcomes.