Ardith Doorenbos, RN
Recognizing a need for more pain management training, the National Institutes of Health selected 12 schools to develop pain curricula with the University of Washington serving as the lead site. The curricula will advance the assessment, diagnosis and safe treatment of pain conditions.
Housed jointly in the schools of nursing and medicine, the UW Center of Excellence in Pain Education is co-led by Ardith Doorenbos, RN, PhD, FAAN, associate professor in the department of biobehavioral nursing and health systems, and David J. Tauben, MD, clinical associate professor in the department of anesthesiology and pain management in the school of medicine. More than 30 core faculty are involved in the center, representing all UW Health Sciences disciplines.
"Nurses have a great ability to manage the impact of pain," Doorenbos said in a news release. "Pain is something that nurses have to deal with often and is one of the top reasons that people go to the ED. Nurses take a holistic approach to managing pain, rather than just a pharmacological approach."
The UW center is focused on three components: telehealth, interprofessional education and the integration of pain management content into existing curriculum. The center launched the telehealth program for pain management earlier this year, allowing rural hospitals and practitioners access to a team of experts at the University of Washington.
"We are hopeful that telehealth will provide better pain management in the patient population in the rural setting," Doorenbos said in the release. "Overall, along with decreased pain severity, we would like to see less anxiety and depression among patients dealing with chronic pain. We also hope to see a reduction in hospitalizations and ER visits, which will lead to more cost-effective care delivery."
The interprofessional education program will bring students from across the health sciences together to learn about pain assessment and diagnosis and each discipline’s individual role in managing pain. Ten NIH institutes came together to fund these centers, including the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which is coordinating the project; the National Institute for Complementary and Alternative Medicine; the National Institute of Nursing Research and the National Institute on Aging, among others.
Housed jointly in the schools of nursing and medicine, the UW Center of Excellence in Pain Education is co-led by Ardith Doorenbos, RN, PhD, FAAN, associate professor in the department of biobehavioral nursing and health systems, and David J. Tauben, MD, clinical associate professor in the department of anesthesiology and pain management in the school of medicine. More than 30 core faculty are involved in the center, representing all UW Health Sciences disciplines.
"Nurses have a great ability to manage the impact of pain," Doorenbos said in a news release. "Pain is something that nurses have to deal with often and is one of the top reasons that people go to the ED. Nurses take a holistic approach to managing pain, rather than just a pharmacological approach."
The UW center is focused on three components: telehealth, interprofessional education and the integration of pain management content into existing curriculum. The center launched the telehealth program for pain management earlier this year, allowing rural hospitals and practitioners access to a team of experts at the University of Washington.
"We are hopeful that telehealth will provide better pain management in the patient population in the rural setting," Doorenbos said in the release. "Overall, along with decreased pain severity, we would like to see less anxiety and depression among patients dealing with chronic pain. We also hope to see a reduction in hospitalizations and ER visits, which will lead to more cost-effective care delivery."
The interprofessional education program will bring students from across the health sciences together to learn about pain assessment and diagnosis and each discipline’s individual role in managing pain. Ten NIH institutes came together to fund these centers, including the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which is coordinating the project; the National Institute for Complementary and Alternative Medicine; the National Institute of Nursing Research and the National Institute on Aging, among others.
