CPM-02 - Creating a Specialty Pain Education Curriculum for Advanced Practice Providers

The IOM study “Relieving Pain in America” was published in 2011, reporting that 100 million Americans suffered from chronic which translated into a high economic burden for our society. This study included an entire chapter dedicated to the need for better education of all providers in the treatment of pain. Many areas of the report were addressed over the years, but education of healthcare professionals, especially non-physician practitioners, has been lacking. With continued projections of increasing physician shortages, use of Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) is crucial in meeting the needs of our public. Appropriate education of APPs is key to implementation of age appropriate, individualized, and optimal pain care.

The goal of this presentation is to provide a blueprint for creation of specialty education in advanced pain care specifically for APPs. A comprehensive program aimed at increasing advanced level knowledge, skills, and competencies will result in practitioners better prepared to take on increased complexities of advanced pain care leading to optimized patient care outcomes. Further, advanced education is transformative and benefits not only the professionals themselves, but the care team on which they serve, and entire communities at large.