FWD:PC Physicians Gain Pain Management Training Via the Internet

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Primary Care Physicians Gain Pain Management Training Via Internet: Presented at AAPM
By Jerry Ingram

NEW ORLEANS, LA -- February 14, 2007 -- Interactive, internet-based continuing medical education (CME) programs may serve as an effective means of training physicians in the management of chronic pain in their patients, according to one trial presented here at the American Academy of Pain Medicine 23rd Annual Meeting (AAPM).

Thomas E. Elliott, MD, general surgeon, Duluth Clinic and University Minnesota Medical School, and his associates presented the findings here on February 9th.

To evaluate and compare various means of training primary care physicians in the management of noncancer pain, investigators designed a randomized, controlled trial and enrolled 136 primary care physicians to participate in a 2-day CME program in Southern California.

Investigators randomly divided participants into groups to receive 1 of 3 types of CME programs: 1) a 4-hour lecture on pain management by a national expert speaker; 2) a 4-hour internet pain management CME program developed by national experts that physicians participated in using laptop computers; 3) a 4-hour lecture on palliative care delivered by national expert speakers (control group).

The researchers established the primary outcome based on physician performance on a "reliable and clinically validated survey-based measure of pain management knowledge and skills before, immediately after, and 3 months following the interventions."

The following tools were implemented for analysis of 3 surveys administered to study participants: repeated measurers analysis of variance (RMANOVA), 1 between-subjects factor, and 1 within-subjects factor (pretest-posttest-follow-up).

Results showed that of the 95 doctors who completed all 3 surveys, scores improved significantly following both pain education programs (lectures: 138.0 to 150.6; internet: 143.6 to 150.4; P < .05 for both). This improvement in knowledge and skill was sustained after 3 months.

The study's authors concluded that internet, interactive CME programs, and lecture-based programs can effectively improve the pain management knowledge and skills necessary for primary care physicians.


[Presentation title: Improving Chronic Pain Management Skills of Physicians: A Randomized Trial. Poster 102]