Improving Pain Management for Marginalized Communities: Educating the Next Generation of Healthcare Professionals.

Abstract

Inadequately managed pain has immense negative impacts on children, families, healthcare systems, and societies. Historically and presently, inadequately treated pain disproportionally affects marginalized communities. Deficiencies in pain education for healthcare providers are widely recognized as a leading contributor to poorly managed pain. Existing training for providers prioritizes physiological systems and pharmacological interventions for pain, despite decades of evidence supporting the biopsychosocial model and interdisciplinary treatment of pain. Moreover, education for healthcare providers rarely acknowledges the role of bias, prejudice, and systemic racism in perpetuating disparities in pain care. To address this gap, we sought to develop an innovative curriculum for healthcare teams to combat racial injustice related to pain management. This curriculum was developed and refined collaboratively with community partners representing diverse expertise, including lived experiences of pain, interdisciplinary pain management, cultural humility and authentic allyship, and curriculum development and evaluation. Four modules delivered across one to two hours were developed and pilot tested extensively with multidisciplinary providers across a large pediatric health system. Learner feedback indicated high acceptability and informed iterative changes to the curriculum. Additional research is needed to examine impacts of the curriculum on healthcare provider knowledge and behavior (e.g., clinical decision making) and patient-reported outcomes as well as to test dissemination and implementation strategies. PERSPECTIVE: We present the development and initial evaluation of a curriculum for healthcare professionals to combat racial injustice in pain management. By engaging diverse community partners, using design thinking, applying an anti-racist lens, and designing for dissemination, we aim to equip the next generation of providers to deliver equitable pain care.