Purpose Statement
PAINWeek provides relevant education and clinical tools for frontline practitioners faced with making pain management decisions.

Educational Need
Prevalence of chronic pain is escalating, with over 40% to 50% of patients failing to achieve adequate pain relief.

The Practitioner Assessment Care and Educational Project (PACE) survey was conducted at PAINWeek 2007, with participants providing the following needs assessment information:

• 90% would like to better understand painrelated pharmacology in relation to pain types and mechanisms
• 96% indicated that more education is desired in the area of assessing and diagnosing pain
• 94% admitted that they need to better understand guidelines and strategies for managing pain comorbidities
• 92% cited the need to better differentiate pain types and the ability to select appropriate treatment options

Physicians, nursing professionals, physician assistants, dentists, pharmacists, psychologists, and podiatrists who treat patients in pain.

After attending PAINWeek 2008, delegates should be better able to:

• Distinguish acute and chronic pain
• Define the mechanisms of action of pain types
• Determine effective treatment protocols among current and emerging therapies
• Recognize cultural barriers that impede diagnosis and management
• Assess the importance of functional capacity evaluations (FCEs)
• Demonstrate clinical interviewing and physical examination competency
• Interpret laboratory and imaging studies as they relate to pain diagnostics
• Distinguish multiple pain syndromes (abdominal, neuropathic, back, and rheumatologic)
• Cite strategies to effectively and efficiently manage pain in various practice settings
• Identify pain management needs for end-of-life care
  

PAINWeek offers general plenary sessions along with multiple, concurrent sessions (tracks) hosted by participating organizations. The variety of sessions allows delegates to select courses that meet their individual educational needs and interests.

The PAINWeek curriculum covers content relevant to frontline practitioners who are part of the pain care continuum. The general session provides practical information and education that have immediate application to clinical practice for pain specialists, practitioners with advanced pain management skills, and primary care clinicians who regularly treat pain.