DEVELOPING A BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL PAIN AND OPIOID USE CURRICULUM FOR MEDICAL STUDENTS AT MAYO CLINIC

– Background and aims
Medical schools must equip future physicians to provide appropriate biopsychosocial care for patients with pain and problematic opioid use. A recent systematic review of 383 medical schools (Shipton et al 2018) found minimal instructional time and limited breadth of content dedicated to pain. This session will review the Mayo Clinic Alexi School of Medicine’s development of a comprehensive pain and addiction curriculum. 

– Methods
 A Pain and Opioid Curriculum Subcommittee was formed in 2018. A gap analysis using curriculum mapping of objectives identified gaps in existing curriculum as compared to International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP; Fishman et al, 2013) Core Competences for Pain Management. An initial survey of graduating medical students indicated perceived knowledge and confidence gaps in biopsychosocial evaluation and treatment of acute and chronic pain, pediatric pain, and opioid use disorder as well as ratings of satisfaction with current curriculum. 

– Results
Curriculum is being integrated both vertically and horizontally to provide a longitudinal learning experience in biopsychosocial aspects of pain and opioid use from first to fourth years as well as multiple opportunities to emphasize content within each year. In the first year, we have increased content by 15%, providing expanded didactic and experiential learning opportunities for medical students in all 4 years across 3 campus sites of the medical school. A survey of graduating medical students indicated increases in perceived knowledge, confidence, and satisfaction with curriculum.

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