Pain and Analgesia
A four week online tutored CPD course with Lisa Angell
Following completion of the tutored course, you now have unlimited lifetime access to the learning resources. These are provided for future reference only, and no further CPD hours may be claimed for reviewing the materials.
Week 1
The Physiology of Pain
- Pain definitions
- The mammalian pain pathway
- Different types of pain
- Principles of analgesia
Learning objectives:
By the end of this week, delegates should be able to:
- Outline the definition of pain and associated terminology
- Describe the different stages of the pain pathway and sites for analgesia intervention
- Understand the concept of multi-modal analgesia and pre-emptive analgesia
Week 2
Analgesia for the In-Patient
- Review the analgesia agents used to treat acute pain conditions:
- Opioids
- NMDA antagonists
- Local anaesthetics
- Alpha 2 agonists
Learning objectives:
By the end of this week, delegates should be able to:
- Be familiar with the different systemic and local options for treating acute pain
- Discuss balanced multi-modal analgesia plans for patients in the veterinary practice
- Understand the mechanisms of action, effects and side effects of the listed analgesic agents
Week 3
Analgesia for the Out-Patient
- Review the analgesia options for managing pain on a longer term basis:
- NSAIDs
- Paracetamol
- Tramadol
- Gabapentin
- Alternative therapies
Learning objectives:
By the end of this week, delegates should be able to:
- Be familiar with the different systemic and alternative therapies for treating chronic pain
- Discuss balanced multi-modal analgesia plans for patients at home
- Understand the mechanisms of action, effects and side effects of the discussed analgesic interventions
Week 4
Pain Assessment Methods
- Review the different pain scoring options for both in-patients and out-patients
- Canine pain scales
- Feline pain scales
- Grimace scales
- Chronic pain scales
- Pitfalls and problems with pain assessment
Learning objectives:
By the end of this week, delegates should be able to:
- Have a better understanding of the different pain assessment types
- Appreciate where pain assessments can be beneficial for managing conditions and allowing for appropriate analgesia interventions in the hospitalised patient
- Provide owners with the tools to monitor and assess their pet’s pain and quality of life at home
- Describe the indications and contraindications for pain scoring
CPD Course Content
Pain and Analgesia
Course progress
Online CPD for Vet Nurses
Excel CPD specialises in providing online CPD for veterinary nurses and technicians all over the globe. Our courses are also fully approved by AVNAT for our nursing colleagues in Australia and New Zealand.