A survey evaluation comparing pain curriculum taught in Australian exercise physiology degrees to graduate perceptions of their preparedness and competency to treat people with chronic pain

Abstract

Background and Aims This cross‐sectional study evaluated the nature of pain curriculum being taught in accredited exercise physiology degrees across Australian universities and its perceived usefulness for preparing exercise physiologists to treat people with chronic pain. Materials & Methods Universities and graduates were asked about the nature and sufficiency of pain curriculum taught, with particular emphasis on competencies for physical therapists as outlined by the International Association for the Study of Pain. Results Ten universities and 101 graduates responded. Median (interquartile range) instruction time on pain curriculum was 12 (7.25–18.75) hours. Few universities (30%) were aware of the guidelines for physical therapy pain curricula, although most (70%) agreed their degrees contained adequate instruction on pain assessment and management. In contrast, 74% of graduates felt their degree did not adequately prepare them to treat people with chronic pain. Half the graduates (51%) were not aware of the guidelines for physical therapy pain curricula. Discussion & Conclusion There is a disconnect between perceptions of Australian universities and their graduates regarding the sufficiency of pain curriculum taught to student exercise physiologists. Benchmarking pain curriculum in Australian university programs against relevant international recommendations may enhance the suitability of pain curricula taught to exercise physiologists, thereby better preparing new graduates to treat people with pain.

Are the attitudes and beliefs of Australian exercise‐based practitioners associated with their use of, and confidence in, treatment modalities for people with chronic low back pain?

“…Together, the findings of this study and others demonstrate that adherence to guideline recommended treatments for CLBP is greater in those with higher biopsychosocial/lower biomedical beliefs (Alshehri et al., 2020; Bishop et al., 2008; Christe et al., 2021; Darlow et al., 2012; Gibbs et al., 2021). However, current evidence suggests that undergraduate pain curricula do not adequately address the biopsychosocial model of pain (Hoeger Bement & Sluka, 2015; Jones et al., 2022; Wideman et al., 2020), which, based on the findings of this study, may be associated with lower adherence to guideline concordant treatments. Indeed, it has been shown that further education can increase biopsychosocial beliefs (Gibbs et al., 2022; O’Sullivan et al., 2013), though the longitudinal effect on clinical decision‐making affecting people seeking care for CLBP is largely unknown.…”