SEF-EDG8017 - Certificate in Pain Assessment and Management

Course Description

Course Outline

Lesson 01 - Pain Theory and Assessment Principles

• Pain is a universal phenomenon. Pain is the fifth vital sign and its assessment is crucial in the comprehensive care of every patient. Pain is a subjective concept and is whatever the client says it is. Pain is experienced across all age groups, across all socioeconomic levels, and in all settings and exists within the context of a culture, as well as within personal, physical, and psychological history. Pain and the search for relief is one of the primary reasons a client accesses the healthcare system. It is also one of the most complex and challenging problems in health care and biology.

Lesson 02 - Pain Interventions and Treatment

• Effective pain management begins with effective pain assessment. Only after an assessment is completed can the healthcare provider determine how to best manage a client's pain. Barriers to pain management that can lead to the undertreatment of pain need to be evaluated and, if relevant, addressed appropriately. Once an assessment is completed, interventions and treatment options are implemented and evaluated. Interventions and treatment options can include traditional pharmaceutical options as well as integrative therapies.

Lesson 03 - Pain Management in Special Populations—Surgery, Cancer, and HIV

• Health care professionals often face difficult challenges when working with clients who have undergone surgery or who have cancer or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). These clients encounter unique problems with their health conditions, especially when trying to manage their pain.

Lesson 04 - Pain Management in the Adult—Acute and Chronic Pain

• Acute and chronic pain in the adult client have different causes, methods of diagnoses, and interventions. Effective health care providers understand these differences when they assess and manage their clients' pain.

Lesson 05 - Pain Management in Special Populations—Children and the Elderly

• Helping pediatric and geriatric populations manage their pain requires special consideration regarding the types of medications and strategies chosen, the route through which medications are delivered, and specific comorbidities or metabolic issues that may be present.

Lesson 06 - Pain Management at the End of Life

• Regardless of the cause, pain is a common symptom in clients who are near death. Healthcare providers must understand the tremendous implications of pain and pain symptoms and prioritize the assessment and optimal treatment of pain in clients near the end of life. They must be knowledgeable about alternative routes for analgesia and analgesic dosing and understand when to make referrals to palliative care providers and/or specialists to assist in the compassionate and effective management of pain during this time.

Lesson 07 - Integrative Therapies for Cancer Pain Management

• Many advances have been made in the treatment of cancer during the last several decades and yet effective cancer pain management remains an overwhelming issue for more than 80% of patients. Today, there are numerous options for cancer pain management, ranging from more traditional pharmacological treatments to integrative therapies, including complementary and alternative modalities. Increasingly, research links adequate pain control with improved survival for patients with cancer. The effective treatment of pain for cancer patients must include an examination of all possible treatment modalities in order to ensure the patient receives the most compassionate care available.

Learner Outcomes

The outcome of this certificate program is for the learner to describe key elements related to pain assessment and management, especially in specific populations.

Notes

This is an asynchronous online course offered through the third party vendor ed2go. This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook. The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online. There are no set meeting times and you may work on the material whenever it is convenient for you. You will have access to all lessons until the course ends. However, the interactive discussion area that accompanies each lesson will automatically close two weeks after the lesson is released. As such, we strongly recommend that you complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.

Completion Requirements:

You must complete all lessons to receive your certificate. You must pass the final exam in all lessons with a score of 80% or higher AND complete the Evaluation Form in order to receive your Certificate of Completion. Finals are graded as Pass or No Pass. Receipt of your certificate indicates successful completion of the course and that you have passed all final exams with a score of 80% or greater. You may retake final exams as many times as necessary within the duration of the course at no additional charge.