PEF-07 - See One, Do One, Be One

Guidelines and recommendations have proposed that, since pain was designated the 5th vital sign in 2000, healthcare provider education about pain, its management, and substance use disorders should be a critical ingredient in helping to provide safe and effective pain management for patients. Despite that fact, many training programs have been relatively slow to make room for education covering these topics. Even the desire to combat “the opioid epidemic” has not significantly impacted incorporation of this subject matter by educational institutions. Distressingly some experts frequently debate whether education about pain and substance use disorders would “make a difference.” This session will focus on the development of an elective senior-level medical school course on Pain and Addiction that emphasizes a biomedical, biopsychosocial, and interdisciplinary approach. The course’s mission and focus in the curriculum development process, and the team involved with its implementation, and preliminary data regarding outcomes in student knowledge, beliefs, comfort levels, and student feedback will be discussed.