Integrating Chronic Pain Assessment and Management in Nurse Practitioner Education

Nurse practitioners (NPs) in primary care settings see many patients with the common complaint of chronic pain. These complaints are the third most widespread health problem in the United States costing about $65 billion a year in healthcare expenses, disability costs and lost productivity. As the US population ages, primary care providers will see increasing numbers of patients seeking relief for chronic pain. Yet, many NP educational programs do not include chronic pain management in their curricula.

In a recent national survey, conducted by NP faculty in collaboration with the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, 42% of NPs (N=227) reported chronic pain was not addressed in their formal NP program, and 74% indicated chronic pain management was not included in their advanced pharmacology course. Additionally, most responded that they do not use standardized pain assessment tools, nor evidenced-based approaches in the management of patients with chronic pain (71% and 64%, respectively). Thus, there is a significant need for NP faculty to find methods to incorporate chronic pain content in formal NP educational programs.

This presentation will provide (1) a brief summary of the national NP study (mentioned above) and (2) describe how NP faculty developed and integrated chronic pain content throughout three NP educational tracks – Family, Pediatric and Family Psych-Mental Health. The educational content for chronic pain is presented in modular format, which consists of three parts: (Part 1) Overview and Pathophysiology of Chronic Pain, (Part 2) Assessment Methods and Tools to use in Primary Care, and (Part 3) Design and Implementation of the Chronic Pain Plan of Care. Sample content from the modules, teaching strategies and evaluation methods will be discussed.