A whole person approach to chronic pain

Content authors

Dr Penny Briscoe, FANZCA, FFPMANZCA

Head of Pain Management Unit, Royal Adelaide Hospital, SA.

Dr Jane Trinca, FANZCA, FFPMANZCA

Director, Barbara Walker Centre for Pain Management St Vincent’s Hospital, Vic.

Activity authors

Sue Markham, BAppSci, NSW
Raquel Newman BVSc, MANZCVSc (emergency and critical care) Vic

Learning objectives

On completing this activity participants should be able to:

• Perform a comprehensive assessment of patients with complex chronic pain presentations.
• Construct a whole person approach to managing a patient with chronic pain and significant psychosocial issues.
• Educate patients with complex pain presentations about appropriate multidisciplinary management.

Competently perform a thorough patient assessment and manage complex chronic pain presentations. Further examine pain as a multi-dimensional condition involving thoughts, behaviours, nutrition, and other perspectives that directly influence the physical processing of pain. Learn to educate patients on multidisciplinary pain management.