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Palliative Care: Pain Management for your Patients

Develop tools for assessing, managing, and treating pain to help ease distress for palliative care patients.

Woman holding her head to indicate she is in pain.

Palliative Care: Pain Management for your Patients

  • 5 weeks

  • 3 hours per week

  • Accreditation available

  • Digital certificate when eligible

  • Open level

Find out more about how to join this course

The CPD Certification Service

This course has been certified by the CPD Certification Service as conforming to continuing professional development principles. Find out more.

Understand pain management with the University of Colorado

Palliative care provides important support for people living with serious or life-limiting illnesses and their family caregivers.

On this five-week course, you’ll develop tools for assessing and managing pain in seriously ill people. One of a series on palliative care from the University of Colorado, the course will give you the knowledge and skills you need to ease distress for people in your care.

Understand the types, causes, and symptoms of pain

Before you can begin developing tools for supporting patients, you need to be able to define their symptoms. The course will start with an introduction to pain and pain assessment.

You’ll learn to identify types of pain and recognise their causative factors. You’ll also examine some of the most common and distressing symptoms, such as loss of appetite, fatigue, delirium, and nausea.

Investigate treatments and therapy for pain

The next phase of the course focuses on the management of these common symptoms of pain. You’ll discover the medication available for treating symptoms, as well as non-medical approaches and therapies.

You’ll be able to use these approaches to help patients and caregivers manage their emotional response to pain and distress.

At the end of the five weeks, you’ll have a toolbox of practical insights, skills, and strategies to draw on when caring for the seriously ill.

Syllabus

  • Week 1

    Pain

    • Image of doctor taking a patients blood pressure

      Introduction to Pain

      Welcome you to the second course in Palliative Care! Pain is a common symptom and one that can dramatically affect a person's quality of life and well-being.

    • Image of doctor and patient sitting in chairs and talking

      What is Pain?

      In this activity, we define pain, explore the nature of pain, and understand when pain occurs.

    • Image of an up close shot of someone's eyes with a worried expression

      Pain Transmission

      In this activity, we will discuss the cascade of events that lead to pain perception.

    • Image of woman in bed yawning with her hand over her mouth and a glass of water in her other hand

      Pain Barriers

      This activity reviews barriers that can affect good pain control. Pain can change overall quality of life for patients and family caregivers by causing emotional distress, anxiety or depression, disturbing sleep and appetite.

    • Image of doctor assessing patient and beginning to take the patients blood pressure

      Pain Assessment Basics

      In this activity, we will discuss pain screening and assessment techniques. The readings will reinforce what we are learning today and the optional materials will give you an opportunity to dive deeper.

    • Image of person with their head down on their computer

      Other Things to Know About Pain

      We will review other things you need to know about the pain experience. Pain is not just a physical experience, it's a very personal one. Take time to find out what the pain means to the person and how it affects quality of life.

    • Image of an older man holding an older woman on the couch

      Assessing Pain in the Nonverbal or Cognitively Impaired

      This activity focuses on how to know if a person who is unable to speak or has speaking related impairment is having pain and what to do about it.

    • Image of doctor with clipboard and patient sitting on a couch

      Pain Assessment

      Review Learning Objectives

  • Week 2

    Non-Pharmacological Pain Treatment

    • Image of two women sitting and talking, one of them taking notes

      Many Dimensions of Pain

      Pain involves many dimensions that can affect the way it is expressed in how it responds to treatment. It is expressed in many ways, both within the person and as the person relates to others.

    • Image of man practicing tai chi outdoors

      Integrative Therapy

      Integrative Therapies are healing practices that focus on the relationship between the provider and whole-person, including the mind, body and spirit, to improve health and healing.

    • Image of woman getting a massage

      Traditional Body-based Therapies

      We'll take a look at various traditional, physical body-based therapies to lessen pain such as physical therapy.

    • Image of person receiving acupuncture

      Nontraditional Body-based Therapies

      We'll take a look at various nontraditional physical and body-based therapies to lessen pane such as aroma therapy, acupuncture, and yoga.

    • Image of older woman and man doing yoga

      Mind Body Therapies

      We'll review some of the more common mind-body therapies used alone or with medications to improve pain relief.

    • Image of a woman smelling essential oil with son

      Topical Therapies

      Topical therapies are widely used prescription or over-the-counter remedies applied to the skin for various conditions including pain.

    • Image of essential oil bottle with dried herbs

      Non-Pharmacological Pain Treatment Assessment

      Review learning objectives

  • Week 3

    Medication Management (including over the counter and non-opioid medicines)

    • Image of an assortment of different pills and medications

      Easing Pain with Non-Opioids

      In this activity, we will learn about medications that can help pain, but are not opioids.

    • Image of woman holding pills in her hand

      What Non-Opioids to Use and When?

      We will learn about which opioids are often needed to treat more severe pain.

    • Image of woman outdoors with her hands on her head

      Common Side Effects

      In this video, we'll review some common side effects to watch out for when using pain medications.

    • Image of woman staring at multiple pills on a tray

      Medication Management Assessment

      Review learning objectives

  • Week 4

    Opioids, Safety, and Addiction

    • Image of woman grabbing water to take pills

      Easing Pain with Opioids

      In this activity, we will learn more about opioid medicines.

    • Image of an up close shot of a patient's IV in their inner elbow

      Opioids in Pill and IV Form

      This activity will help you understand some of the main ideas about how to use opioids in a safe and helpful way.

    • Image of hands taking out a pill from a pill case

      Changing From One Opioids to Another

      After this activity, you should have some understanding of which opioids are strongest and how to safely convert a pill dose to an IV dose.

    • Image of two men seated at a table and speaking to each other

      Addiction, Pseudo-Addiction, Physical Dependence, and Tolerance

      When helping people with opioid pain medications, it is important that you understand the difference between addiction, pseudo-addiction, physical dependence and tolerance.

    • Image of liquid opioids in a small cup

      Opioid Safety and Addiction Assessment

      Review Learning Objectives

  • Week 5

    Easing Pain: Assessment

    • Image of woman sitting and writing in a journal

      Easing Pain Assessment

      Review Learning Objectives

Who is this accredited by?

The CPD Certification Service
The CPD Certification Service:

The CPD Certification Service was established in 1996 and is the leading independent CPD accreditation institution operating across industry sectors to complement the CPD policies of professional and academic bodies.

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

  • Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Explain pain and recognize causative factors and types of pain in the seriously ill.
  • Practice a multidimensional pain assessment of the palliative care patient.
  • Identify nontraditional and common integrative strategies to enhance patient comfort and satisfaction.
  • Investigate various classes of non-opioid pain medications to know how they work differently.
  • Describe the mechanism of action of opioids to know when to use them, in addition to non-opioid pain medications, for pain management.
  • Develop a comprehensive plan of care for management of a patient with pain.

Who is the course for?

This course is primarily designed for healthcare providers working with seriously ill patients and their families. This includes nurses, doctors, pharmacists, and allied health professionals (e.g. social workers, spiritual care providers, mental health professionals, therapists).

It will also be valuable for families, friends, and communities supporting the seriously ill.

Who will you learn with?

F. Amos  Bailey

F. Amos Bailey MD FACP, FAAHPM (retired) Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado, School of Medicine and the Emeritus Director of the MS of Palliative Care Community HPM Fellowship

Who developed the course?

UC Denver logo

University of Colorado

The University of Colorado is a recognized leader in higher education on the national and global stage. We collaborate to meet the diverse needs of our students and communities. We promote innovation, encourage discovery and support the extension of knowledge in ways unique to the state of Colorado and beyond.

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Ways to learn

Choose the best way to learn for you!

Subscribe & save

$244.99 for a whole year

Automatically renews

Develop skills to further your career

  • Access to this course
  • Access to 1,000+ courses
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Digital certificate when you're eligible

Cancel for free anytime

Buy this course

$109/one-off payment

Fulfill your current learning need

  • Access to this course
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible

Limited access

Free

Sample the course materials

  • Access expires 20 Mar 2025

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

Sale price available until 3 March 2025 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

Sale price available until 3 March 2025 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.

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