We all know how annoying pain is, especially when it won’t go away. Doctors often try to help, but they can’t always get rid of that nagging pain. This may be because there are multiple variables that influence pain and how a person lives with it. This is why it is necessary for healthcare professionals to learn more about pain and the new approaches to its treatment. Today we will talk about the ‘biopsychosocial’ approach, a paradigm shift in pain management that is beginning to make a difference.
Why change the way we learn about pain?
A recent study[1] found that when doctors learn about pain from a biopsychosocial perspective – one that considers not only the body but also the patient’s mind and social environment – things can improve. This approach helps doctors better understand chronic pain and how to treat it more effectively.
What’s good about the new approach?
The results are quite encouraging. Doctors who learn about pain in this new way tend to change how they think about pain. Not only that, but they also get better at treating patients. This means they may start using methods that really address all the factors that contribute to pain, not just the physical part.
But, not everything is perfect
While this new teaching method shows improvements in how doctors think and act, it is not yet entirely clear whether this translates into patients feeling better. Studies show mixed results: some patients improve, but others do not show much difference. This tells us that there is still a lot to learn and apply before we can say with certainty that this method is the solution.
What next?
This study is an eye-opener on how to improve pain management. It is a step towards recognising that chronic pain is not just a physical issue and that physician education must encompass much more to be truly effective.
We invite everyone, not just healthcare professionals, to think about how this information might affect the way we view and treat pain.It is an opportunity to open a dialogue about how to improve care for all those who suffer from chronic pain.
1 Mankelow, J., Ryan, C., Taylor, P., Atkinson, G., & Martin, D. (2022). A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Biopsychosocial Pain Education upon Health Care Professional Pain Attitudes, Knowledge, Behavior and Patient Outcomes. The journal of pain, 23(1), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2021.06.010
