Pain

Transcript

Welcome to the CPPE page on pain, which introduces you to resources that CPPE and other organisations provide around this topic.

It is difficult to precisely quantify the number of people who experience chronic pain. A European study from 2006 concluded that ‘on average one in five adult Europeans suffer from chronic pain, although there are variations between countries, with the UK having an average prevalence rate of 13%’

What this means is that as a healthcare professional, you are very likely to see patients living with pain as a routine part of your practice.

Use our pain learning resources and assessment to update your knowledge and develop your skills to assess, treat and manage pain effectively. You can broaden your scope of practice by learning more about pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment options.

Learn how to ensure that your consultations with patients living with long term pain engage the patient in evidence based treatment options and decisions around the management of their pain.

The aim of this programme is to develop your skills and confidence to support people living with chronic pain. You will consider the safe and effective use of medicines, focusing on opioids, and how to use a person-centred approach to empower people to live well with pain.

Learning Outcomes:

• explain the basic principles of analgesic stewardship
• demonstrate approaches to overcome barriers and potential challenges to safe and effective use of opioids you may encounter in practice
• apply a shared decision-making approach to discussions involving pain, with a focus on safe and effective use of opioids
• discuss your role in supporting people with opioid reduction and deprescribing
• support people to self-manage their pain while demonstrating a person-centred approach.

This e-learning programme has been developed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to support anyone who prescribes, dispenses or administers opioids to patients. It identifies the hazards of commonly used opioids such as fentanyl and tramadol and advises on the actions that health professionals should take to anticipate, minimise and manage the clinical risks to patients. The module is followed by a short online assessment.

Once booked, you will need to access this learning programme from the link in your Learning record.

Please note: this e-learning programme has been developed and provided by the MHRA. After ordering this programme, you will be redirected to their website where the resource is hosted. Please be aware that CPPE does not maintain control over the accuracy and currency of this programme.

It was last updated in 2015 and is currently under review. Please use with caution and consider content alongside more up to date resources and the Summary of Product Characteristics for each medicine. For more information, please visit E-learning modules: medicines - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of all aspects of the learning programme you should be able to:

• outline the common adverse effects and principal risks associated with opioid medicines
• describe risk reduction measures to minimise the adverse effects of opioid use
• locate MHRA safety alerts and information on opioid use
• advise patients and prescribers on the safer use of opioid medicines.

The aim of this e-learning programme is to support you to develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours to support patients to use prescribed controlled drugs safely and effectively, with a focus on controlled drugs used in chronic pain. It will allow you to explore the risks, challenges and consequences associated with a growing use of prescribed controlled drugs, and how to apply a shared decision-making approach to discussions involving controlled drugs.

Learning Outcomes:

• describe the risks, challenges and consequences associated with a growing use of prescribed controlled drugs
• identify people who may benefit from support with their use of controlled drugs
• support patients with chronic pain to consider alternative options to controlled drugs use
• develop your professional network to support you to deliver personalised care for people taking controlled drugs
• apply a shared decision-making approach to discussions involving controlled drugs
• apply your learning to make changes to your practice to improve the safe and effective use of controlled drugs.

This e-assessment is linked with the CPPE Deprescribing opioids in people with chronic pain focal point programme and assesses you on the learning outcomes in that programme.

Why should I do this assessment?

This e-assessment is linked with the CPPE Controlled drugs in chronic pain: supporting patients with safe and effective use e-learning programme and assesses you on the learning outcomes in that programme.

Why should I do this assessment?

WHO has developed a three-step "ladder" for cancer pain relief in adults.

This guideline covers assessing and managing low back pain and sciatica in people aged 16 and over. It outlines physical, psychological, pharmacological and surgical treatments to help people manage their low back pain and sciatica in their daily life. The guideline aims to improve people’s quality of life by promoting the most effective forms of care for low back pain and sciatica.

Analgesia - mild-to-moderate pain management: scenarios

This guideline covers managing neuropathic pain (nerve pain) with pharmacological treatments (drugs) in adults in non-specialist settings. It aims to improve quality of life for people with conditions such as neuralgia, shingles and diabetic neuropathy by reducing pain and promoting increased participation in all aspects of daily living. The guideline sets out how drug treatments for neuropathic pain differ from traditional pain management.