According to Carol Bennet, the CEO of Pain Australia, it is common for people living in rural and remote areas of Australia to have less access to different health services. Moreover, people living in such places also receive less preventive and management resources when it comes to dealing with chronic pain, leading to poor health outcomes.
This also leads to greater dependency on pain medications solely to treat acute and chronic pain. Study shows that in regional areas, there are ten times higher rate of opioid prescription than other places in Australia.
Bennet told that there is an existing and continuing epidemic of opioid misuse in Australia, yet the matter is barely considered in public agenda.
She added that there is no question on the capacity of an opioid to handle with acute or chronic pain but the existing public discussion focuses primarily on the management of pain linked to drug addiction and dependency.
Pain education programs held in rural, regional and remote areas of Australia is among the best things to be done on pain management One example is the Pain Revolution’s Local Pain Educator Program that gives training for local health professionals about pain management and education.
Pain Revolution was established by Professor Lorimer Moseley, a pain scientist. The said initiative is done to give knowledge, skills, and support for people who experience different kinds of acute and chronic pain and give healthcare providers with techniques on pain management.
One of the most important events of Pain Revolution is the Pain Revolution Outreach Tour that is held in rural and regional communities and establishes local pain networks that could deliver sustainable services.
According to Prof. Moseley, one of the most burdensome health problems experienced by people in remote places of Australia is persistent pain which is preempted by limited resources and bad health care capacity.
He added, the best thing worthy of attention in improving health outcomes is that the support system given to public and health professionals regarding understanding the best approach to recovery could be translated into delivering best care locally.
He also said that the vision of Pain Revolution is bold but realistic on Australians receiving access to knowledge and skills in pain management.
He also admitted that the realization of the mission would take a long time.
Prof. Moseley told that attendance is good at all events; interaction with the participants is well established, and there is a positive feedback coming from health professionals.
Learning matters about pain is very powerful, Prof. Moseley told. However, learning should also go well with best practice guidelines that give education and self-management skills for handling personal chronic pain.
WHAT IS PAIN REVOLUTION?
Pain revolution is a multiple strategy initiative that seeks to give the general public an understanding of pain using scientific tools.
Primarily, the goal of the said initiative is to change expectations of the general public regarding the best practice that is in line with the existing scientific understanding and increase the capacity of healthcare providers, especially in rural areas in giving pain education and care.
According to Bennett, Local Pain Educator Program is proven to contribute largely on best-practice pain management.
THE LOCAL PAIN EDUCATOR PROGRAM (LPE)
Angie Clerc-Hawke, the incumbent Local Pain Educator Manager told that the LPE Program is a community-based program focused on health advancements that are focused on capacity building.
She added that health professionals coming from different disciplines and sectors in rural and regional communities are recruited to acquire scholarships for a two-year program to be able to be considered as Local Pain Educators.
The inclusion of the Local Pain Educator program are the following:
· Professional certificate in pain science access.
· One-to-one mentoring on translating knowledge to the community
· Network for different activities such as webinars, teleconferences, workshops and online discussions
· Toolkits for delivering education sessions
Clerc-Hawke told that all of these inclusions lead to LPEs provision of free pain education.
The program is a community approach focused on changing the way people understand and handle pain.
She added that it is inspiring to see the changes done by the people within a community on such matter.
A testimony told by a first-year LPE expressed deep confidence in how he acquired better knowledge about pain.
According to Dr. Jason Bradley, a physiotherapist, the initiative of Prof. Moseley has changed the course of relationships between patients and physiotherapists.
The recognition that chronic pain is not dependent upon continued structural damage, there is positive anticipation of achieving better outcomes.
Proper education to patients regarding the reality of their pain would also make them conscious of the possible actions they should be doing.
Proper education could also divert patients from relying on analgesic medications that could be addictive.
In this program, patients should also acquire the proper knowledge and education to become a proactive part of the healthcare team.
