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American Society of Pain Educators to Launch Expansive Pain Awareness Month Activities

Posted on: Wednesday, 26 July 2006, 15:00 CDT

MONTCLAIR, N.J., July 26 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Society of Pain Educators (ASPE) will launch a month-long calendar of educational events focused on pain management education for healthcare providers during Pain Awareness Month, September 2006.

"We are providing a broad educational agenda to increase awareness about the under-diagnosis and under-treatment of pain in the U.S.," said B. Eliot Cole, MD, MPA, Executive Director of the American Society of Pain Educators. Noting that half of all visits to primary care physicians are pain-related, Dr. Cole said, "We must provide information and tools to support the frontline practitioners who treat the majority of people in pain: primary care physicians, nurses and nurse practitioners, physician assistants and pharmacists."

The main drivers for the ASPE focus on Pain Awareness Month are two critical observations. First is the inadequate pain management education clinicians receive during their initial training. Second is the serious need for evidence-based pain management education among healthcare professionals treating the growing population of aging adults and the elderly.

The ASPE is issuing a call-to-action to "Improve Pain Management Through Education" in response to the increasing number of aging baby boomers who will not relinquish their busy, active lifestyles. They will continue to be active aging adults who expect appropriate treatment and support from their healthcare providers. Advising healthcare practitioners, Dr. Cole said, "As caregivers, we need to ask about and pay attention to our patients' pain. ASPE will help you learn to respond safely and appropriately."

Interested clinicians may register for a FREE informational resource guide and specific Pain Awareness Month events by calling (888) ASPE-REG or going to http://www.painawareness.org/.

Events include live events and web conferences on such topics as: * Arthritis * Compliance update * Foot pain * Fibromyalgia * Headache pain * Low back pain * Neuropathic pain * Pain and depression * Pain associated with sickle cell anemia * Palliative and end-of-life care * Polypharmacy: combining of medications to treat pain * Post-operative pain * State of pain management in America Pain Week 2007

Pain Week 2007 is a national conference during September Pain Awareness Month providing relevant, real-world education for the frontline practitioner who treats patients in pain. The conference will be convened at the Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada, September 6-9, 2007 and will run concurrently with the ASPE Pain Educators Forum. The mix of plenary and break out sessions will provide patient and practice management strategies for practitioners in the primary care setting.

"The idea of Pain Week is to have multiple organizations come together along with the ASPE to help address the need for pain education in the primary care setting," said Dr. B. Eliot Cole. Both pain focused and non-pain focused physician, nurse and nurse practitioner, pharmacist and physician assistant organizations are welcome to participate. "Through jointly partnering on select sessions or by running specific educational tracks, each organization can play a part in improving pain management through education," Dr. Cole said.

Organizations and corporations interested in partnership or sponsorship opportunities regarding both 2006 Pain Awareness Month and 2007 Pain Week should be directed to Steve Porada at sp@paineducators.org.

About ASPE

The American Society of Pain Educators is a 501(c)(3) non-profit professional organization dedicated to improving pain management through education and training healthcare professionals to become Credentialed Pain Educators(TM), who will serve as specialized resources for pain management in their clinical settings. The ASPE also has authored new consensus guidelines, published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings and the Journal of Family Practice, for the diagnosis and treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain (DPNP). The guidelines provide healthcare professionals with the first definitive, consistent treatment strategy for the management of pain associated with diabetes.

Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link. B. Eliot Cole, MD, MPA http://profnet.prnewswire.com/ud_public.jsp?userid=10019128

American Society of Pain Educators (ASPE)

CONTACT: Debra Weiner, +1-973-233-4459, dw@paineducators.org, or DeborahWalter, +1-908-522-1677, +1-908-400-0641, dlw@paineducators.org, both forASPE

Web site: http://www.painawareness.org/

Source: PRNewswire

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