Educating providers to better assess and manage pain

Pain Foundations

Pain Foundations is a flexible self-paced online course where learners can focus on modules specific to their scope and area of interest.

Pain Foundations for Primary Care Providers

308

registrations

100%

of graduates better understand team-based care

100%

of graduates feel more confident talking to patients about pain

91%

of graduates say their understanding of lived experience of pain has changed
Pain Foundations course participant

I really like the diversity and inclusivity in the case examples and photos used in this course. I think this is the first CME course that I have taken that has done a good job at fair representation. Thank you. This course was long, but well worth it. I will be highly recommending this to all family physicians. I think it should be part of the family medicine residency program curriculum.

Pain Foundations for Allied Health Providers

1,048

registrations

98%

of graduates feel more confident talking to clients about their pain

87%

of graduates say their understanding of lived experience of pain has changed

85%

of graduates say what they learned will change how they provide care
Pain Foundations course participant

As an occupational therapist, pain is often a barrier to clients’ occupational goals. This module gives me techniques, resources and methods to educate, engage and approach working towards occupational (life!) goals with my clients.

Gentle Movement and Relaxation

This free, online course equips physiotherapists and other therapeutic movement professionals with practical knowledge and teaching resources to lead their own movement and relaxation programs for people living with chronic pain.

203

registrations

100%

of graduates say the course provided them with greater knowledge about the role of movement in pain management

97%

of graduates have improved their practice because of what they learned

97%

of graduates feel more confident talking to clients about pain
Gentle Movement and Relaxation course participant

Fantastic course! I enjoyed the information being delivered in a variety of methods, as opposed to all written or audio. I found it educational and easy to follow. I feel confident delivering this course in the community. The information and strategies will also be helpful when treating my day-to-day clients. Thank you!

BC ECHO for Chronic Pain

Our ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) offers free, sustained mentorship and education in best-practice pain care to health care providers in BC, particularly in rural and remote communities. Our ECHO sessions are held every month in the evenings. In 2021, we launched a four-session daytime ECHO series to support doctors and nurse practitioners in improving their clinical practice around opioid prescribing.

635

recording views
sessions

14 sessions

Attendees

479 registrants

BC ECHO for Chronic Pain participant

The regular scheduling of the sessions and the structured format of didactic and case learning make the [BC ECHO for Chronic Pain] sessions extremely useful and enlightening. They have been well worth my time and energy to attend.

Workshops for health professionals

7

online workshops

159

attendees

93%

of workshop seats filled
said they would make a change in their practice
as a result of what they learned
Attendees expressed a

3.5X increase in their knowledge

about pain assessment tools compared to before the workshop
would recommend the workshop to colleagues
Workshop attendee

Thanks! In 15 years of continuing education, I have never taken a course that was so easy to integrate into practice immediately.

Workshop attendee

It has been so long since I have taken a course or been taught something that is evidence based and it is SO refreshing. I think every health care professional should take this course.

Webinars for health professionals

9

webinars

925

webinar registrants

3,582

recording views

Professional mentorship to improve care for people with pain

In 2021, we developed the BC Adaptive Mentorship Network for Pain, Mental Health and Substance Use (BCAMN). The program offers opportunities for community-based primary care providers and other health care professionals to receive professional mentorship and grow their capacity to support people living with chronic pain, mental health and substance use conditions.

The program begins recruiting Mentees in early 2022. Building towards the program launch, we recruited:

2

Clinical Directors
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4

Clinical Advisors
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8

Mentors
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Reducing stigma in health care practice

Pain BC has been involved in the development of EQUIP Pathways’ Nexus module, training to help health care professionals provide equitable, stigma-free care. In this module, health care providers are asked to consider the implications of the intersections between trauma, violence, pain, substance use health and stigma in aiming to provide enhanced equity-oriented approaches to practice.

Each unit was extensively reviewed by both internal and external subject matter experts with professional and lived experience. User testing of the course is currently underway.