Description
This CPD course is aimed at veterinary nurses working in general practice
As veterinary nurses, we want to provide our patients with the best possible care that we can and it’s hard to see our patients suffering and in pain. Luckily our profession allows us to prevent this in many ways, but are we tackling pain the right way and making the best choices for analgesia? Can we make improvements to help our patients remain pain free and reduce side effects of the therapies we choose – whether that’s for our patients in the clinic or at home?
In order for us to treat and manage pain in our patients, we first need to understand the physiology behind how animals feel pain. We will start by expanding our knowledge and understanding of the pain pathway, before moving on to the different analgesia options for acute and chronic pain conditions. We will finish the course with pain scoring. By the end of the 4 weeks, we will have overviewed pain and the different treatment options available with the hope, that alongside the veterinary surgeon, we can build patient specific multi-modal analgesia plans for all our patients.
Week 1
The Physiology of Pain
- Pain definitions
- The mammalian pain pathway
- Different types of pain
- Principles of analgesia
Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants 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
Learning materials this week:
(released on Monday morning for on demand learning until the course ends – approximate timings)
- Pre-recorded tutorial with Lisa = 25 minutes
- Further reading = 60 minutes
- Forum discussion topic = 10 minutes
- Crossword quiz = 10 minutes
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
After completion of this week, participants 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
Learning materials this week:
(released on Monday morning for on demand learning until the course ends – approximate timings)
- Pre-recorded tutorial with Lisa = 90 minutes
- Further reading = 60 minutes
- Forum discussion topic = 10 minutes
- Multiple choice questions quiz = 10 minutes
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
After completion of this week, participants 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
Learning materials this week:
(released on Monday morning for on demand learning until the course ends – approximate timings)
- Pre-recorded tutorial with Lisa = 45 minutes
- Further reading = 60 minutes
- Written Assignment (clinical case scenario – analgesia plan) = 60 minutes
- ‘Fill in the blank’ questions quiz = 10 minutes
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
After completion of this week, participants 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
Learning materials this week:
(released on Monday morning for on demand learning until the course ends – approximate timings)
- Pre-recorded tutorial with Lisa = 40 minutes
- Further reading = 60 minutes
- Forum discussion topic = 10 minutes
- Crossword quiz = 10 minutes
The course will be fully tutored by Lisa Angell, and will consist of 10 hours of CPD given in various formats, including tutorials, tasks, case studies, forum discussions and quizzes. This course is tutored for 4 weeks, followed by a two week extension of untutored ‘catch up’ time, before the course officially ends.
All delegates will then have unlimited lifetime access to the learning material for future reference
Conor W –
Great course, loved the resources available.
Rated: Introduction / Intermediate level
(Newly qualified (<2 years) – UK)
Cathie V –
I have really enjoyed this course. It has been a good refresher. I have many ideas on how my practice can improve our pain management protocols.
Rated: Intermediate level
(Qualified RVN in general practice >5 years – UK)
Sharon D –
Brilliant, informative, concise
Rated: Intermediate level
(Qualified RVN in general practice >5 years – UK)