Course on clinical management of chronic pain, Liverpool

Why do the course?

Patients with chronic pain present a formidable medical, psychological, social, and ethical challenge. There are few courses providing hands-on training in chronic pain. This course at Liverpool provides a comprehensive hands-on review of the most pertinent pain issues facing clinicians in their day to day practice.

Who is it for?

The course is meant for healthcare professionals who have an interest in chronic pain management and already have some training or are embarking on a career in pain. Participants at the last course included anaesthetic trainees, fellows in chronic pain, pain consultants from abroad, anaesthetic consultants with an interest in pain, general practitioners, and staff grade anaesthetists with an interest in pain, as well as doctors from palliative care.

Who runs it?

This course is organised by the Pain Relief Foundation (a registered charity) in association with the Faculty of Pain at the Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery and takes place at the Clinical Sciences Centre, University Hospital Aintree, Liverpool (where the fellowship of the Royal College of Anaesthetists courses are held).

What does the course entail?

This is a five day intensive course with theoretical and practical sessions. Initially, those of us attending the course were apprehensive about retaining interest in a five day course, but we found that even on the afternoon of the fourth day our enthusiasm remained high. This was because the course is hands-on and involves real patient consultations and involvement of course participants in discussions. The faculty are knowledgeable and friendly.

The course faculty is multidisciplinary and includes pain physicians, neurosurgeons, neurologists, anaesthetists, and radiologists as well as pain nurses, physiotherapists, a radiologist, a psychologist, and a physiologist.

The Walton Centre holds the distinction of starting the pain management programme in the United Kingdom and hence sessions on the programme and its evolution are outstanding. In addition, there is a physiotherapy clinic and theatre sessions on interventional pain management.

What areas are covered?

The first day included lectures on lumbar imaging, facial pain, and neuropathic pain along with five clinical sessions. Day two started with case presentations on myofascial pain, chronic neck pain, and low back pain. In the afternoon, we learnt how to assess patients for spinal cord stimulators and related issues. Day three started with a grand round followed by a salmon lunch at the Liverpool Medical Centre and then an informative session in palliative care pain.

Day four was devoted to the pain management programme. We attended clinics on medical, psychological, and physiotherapy patient assessment followed by a session in which patients who had been on these programmes talked about their experiences. The final programme included complex regional pain syndrome and the course concluded with a session on how to set up and run a pain clinic in a district general hospital and a pain management programme.

Would you recommend the course?

I would highly recommend this course to any anaesthetic trainee contemplating or already working in management of chronic pain. I found the course particularly useful as I am about to start a chronic pain fellowship. The course gives a good overview of pain practice issues. The discussions are fairly informal and I learnt a lot from the question time during each session. The faculty was dedicated and genuinely interested in teaching. The theatre sessions were excellent.

For doctors already working in pain management, this course offers good value as during the five days you get a comprehensive review of current pain practice and go back with batteries recharged and having made new friends in the world of pain management.

The course also attracts doctors and faculty from a wide variety of specialties and hence there are plenty of opportunities for learning by “cross pollination.”

What does it cost and how do I apply?

The course fee is £750, which includes teaching sessions, lecture notes (downloadable), lunch and tea on all days, and a course dinner on day four. Accommodation is not included, but the hotel nearby is convenient and reasonably priced. The course is held once a year in November, but it is small and popular so you need to book in advance to secure a place.

Further information

Application forms and course dates are available at www.painrelieffoundation.org.uk or via b.hall{at}painrelieffoundation.org.uk.