P-114 - Educating APRNs and PAs in Pain Management - A Needs Assessment

Abstract Title: Educating APRNs and PAs in Pain Management - A Needs Assessment

Background: There has been a call to increase pain management education within the medical community. Despite well documented data for physicians, little is known about the extent of this education amongst practicing APRNs and PAs. This is an attempt to document an objective needs assessment within this group. Educational institutions need to take note of the curriculum gaps that exist for APRNs and PAs in regard to this field of study in order to improve patient care and outcomes within the chronic pain population. Historically, the field of pain medicine, with pain assessment being at the center, has been a hodge podge of different ideas and techniques. A standardized approach is needed in order to provide clinicians with the tools they need to properly assess and manage a patient with a pain complaint.

Purpose/Objectives: The goal of this study is to bring to light the lack of pain management education within the APRN and PA fields. APRNs and PAs represent a large portion of the medical provider workforce. Chronic pain is a rising problem within the nation, so pain management education is tantamount to delivering optimal patient care. APRNs and PAs should be proficient in assessing and managing chronic pain patients. This study reveals a significant gap in education for advanced practice practitioners.

Methods: A brief (10 question) survey was administered online to APRNs and PAs nationwide using various databases to assess as diverse a group as possible. The survey was delivered via an online link utilizing a well known data collection company. The data was then analyzed by the authors utilizing well established data analysis techniques.

Results: Of the 470 respondents, 276 (58%) were APRNs and 194 (41%) were PAs, representing 47 states, D.C., Canada, and the Netherlands, with 57% practicing for > 5 years. 75% report < 5 hours of pain management education in their primary training, with 66% feeling "neutral to very unprepared" during their first year of clinical practice. Most of the respondents report on-the-job training, followed by continuing education as their primary mode of learning. 248 respondents (52%) report they spend at least 50% of their clinical time managing pain. Approximately two thirds report pain management or palliative care as their primary specialty. The remainder of this group of respondents practice family/internal medicine, and report less time spent on pain management education.

Conclusions/Implications for future research and/or clinical care: This study highlights the fact that APRNs and PAs are managing pain on a regular basis within their patient populations, but feel they lack the proper education to do so within their early years as a clinician. The lack of pain managment education within this provider group represents a significant gap that likely effects patient care and effects clinician confidence, which is in turn results in less than optimal patient outcomes. With this data, educational institutions now have factual information with which to improve the curriculum to address this need.

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