The goal of this educational project is to prepare physicians and nurses to act as role models for appropriate assessment and management of cancer pain. Among the many barriers to adequate cancer pain management is the lack of health professional role models; physicians and nurses who are well versed in pain management and who can teach and change the attitudes of their colleagues in a hospital or practice setting and by so doing bring change in clinical practice. Specifically, 300 physicians and nurses from throughout the United States will be trained over the course of the next three years. Health professionals will be recruited and work as teams composed of a physician or nurse educator and a """"""""clinical partner"""""""". one-day educational conferences for a maximum of 50 participants will be held at 6-month intervals. The conferences will provide basic information about cancer pain assessment and management as well as the opportunity for the participants to explore their attitudes and knowledge in case-based small group workshops with specific educational objectives. A workshop will also focus on ways to transfer information to student physicians, nurses and colleagues. Participants will develop an Action Plan at the conclusion of the conference that will be their blueprint for subsequent educational activities. A pre-test and post-test design will be used to evaluate the impact of the program on participants knowledge and attitudes, on the level of their educational activities and on practice patterns in their clinical care settings. Post-test measures will be taken at 4, 8, and 12 months after the conference.
| Griffie, J; Weissman, D E (1996) Palliative medicine nurse preceptorship at the Medical College of Wisconsin. J Pain Symptom Manage 12:360-3 |
| Weissman, D E (1996) Cancer pain education for physicians in practice: establishing a new paradigm. J Pain Symptom Manage 12:364-71 |
| Weissman, D E; Dahl, J L (1995) Update on the cancer pain role model education program. J Pain Symptom Manage 10:292-7 |
