Medical Schools Neglect Pain Management Teachings, Study Says

Pain management education in medical schools is "limited and fragmentary," according to a Journal of Pain study reported in Pain Medicine News.

The study, which examined the curriculums of 117 U.S. and Canadian medical schools, found that pain education focuses largely on basic science, but more practical and applicable education is needed. Only 3.8 percent of U.S. medical schools surveyed reported having a mandatory pain course, and another 16.3 percent of schools offer a pain-focused elective, the study said.

"The more we come to know about what's being taught in pain, the more glaringly obvious the gap between theory and practice becomes," said study co-author Beth B. Murinson, MS, MD, PhD. "There's literally almost nothing on [pediatric pain, cancer pain and opioids]. Kids should not suffer needless pain. And, clearly, cancer patients should not endure untreated pain."

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