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- Toward a shared framework for therapeutic…
Toward a shared framework for therapeutic pain education: a Delphi-based international consensus
Key Points
- There is no single framework for therapeutic pain education.
BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE
Pain continues to be a global leading cause of disability and loss with increasing prevalence despite increased awareness. Therapeutic patient education (TPE) was once a novel approach to pain education that has been growing in availability. The World Health Organization published an updated guide on TPE in November 2023 (1). The idea is to train patients in the skills needed to manage their conditions and have effective options for self-care.
This concept is expanded in what began as pain neuroscience education (PNE) and has evolved to pain science education (PSE). PSE describes the inclusion of biological, psychological, emotional, social, and contextual dimensions of pain and is based on frameworks of active engagement where the emphasis is the integration of knowledge into behavioral change and is not a passive education model (2).
Despite the increase in knowledge and availability, there is no standardization or shared criteria for the essential components of therapeutic pain education. A Delphi-study seeks to gather and refine expert opinion and establish a consensus where there is uncertainty. Therefore, the goal of this paper aims to provide insights from a multidisciplinary group of experts from various countries with the aim of identifying the essential element for effective therapeutic pain education interventions in persistent pain.
This paper demonstrates the need for continued evolution in our understanding of how to best help our patients and colleagues to meet the continued burden of pain.
METHODS
- This was a structured Delphi study of three rounds. 21 experts completed all three rounds.