The effectiveness of continuing education in postoperative pain management: Results from a follow-up study

Background: Studies still report high levels of postoperative pain. Inadequate treatment of patients experiencing pain is often due to lack of understanding of pain. Methods: The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a course on "pain," evaluated by a pretest-posttest design, with a questionnaire mailed to the 168 participants in February 2005. The course consisted of seven sessions held from October 2002 to June 2003 in a public hospital in Udine, Italy. This hospital has 710 beds and more than 30,000 admissions a year. The course, included in the "pain-free hospital" national objective, consisted of lectures, discussions, and role playing. Results: Of the 10 test questions participants answered, seven showed a significant difference between the posttest taken at the end of the course and the posttest taken after 18 months. Conclusion: It is believed that knowledge is progressively lost if refresher courses are not held on a regular basis.