Implementing explain pain and chronic pain treatment guidelines in 8 health care disciplines in belgium: A 6-months follow-up study.

Introduction: Numerous scientific studies have established the necessity of a biopsychosocial (BPS) approach in the treatment of chronic pain, however, the implementation into clinical practice falls short. The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of a BPS pain educational program for primary healthcare providers (PHCP) on changes in knowledge and attitude, and the guideline adherence. Methods: Within an implementation project of the Belgian Federal Government, a BPS pain educational program was developed based on recent scientific research, and barriers and facilitators formulated by an expert panel. 300 PHCP from various disciplines followed the course which contains two e-learning sessions and two one-day face-to-face trainings. Changes in knowledge and attitudes regarding chronic pain were measured using the KNowledge and Attitudes of Pain (KNAP). Guideline adherence was measured with two clinical case vignettes. Participants were measured pre-course, post-course and at a 6-month follow-up. The satisfaction of participants regarding the training and implementation into practice was measured during the course and at the follow-up. Results: A shift towards the biopsychosocial perspective that is in line with clinical guidelines is expected after completing the chronic pain course. Discussion: The pain course developed in the present study might increase the biopsychosocial perspective and guideline adherence of PHCP. Process evaluation: The selection of adequate evaluation tools to assess multidisciplinary groups was challenging. Furthermore, it remains to be established whether the improvements observed in knowledge and attitude questionnaires and the guideline adherence based on clinical vignettes reflect actual change in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]