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Review
. 2011 Nov-Dec;16(6):421-6.
doi: 10.1155/2011/424978.

Integrating cognitive and affective dimensions of pain experience into health professions education

Beth Murinson  1 , Lina Mezei, Elizabeth Nenortas
Affiliations
Review

Integrating cognitive and affective dimensions of pain experience into health professions education

Beth Murinson et al. Pain Res Manag. 2011 Nov-Dec.

Abstract
in English, French

Pain is prevalent in clinical settings, and yet it is relatively under-represented in the education of most students in the health professions. Because pain includes both sensory-discriminative and affective features, teaching students about pain presents unique challenges and opportunities. The present article describes the evolution of a new blueprint for clinical excellence that, among other competencies, incorporates a need for the emotional development of clinical trainees. The framework has been applied to the development and implementation of two new courses in pain. The first course is designed to provide a comprehensive foundation of medical knowledge regarding pain, while integratively introducing students to the affective dimensions of pain. The second course is designed to enhance students' appreciation for the protean effects of pain through use of the humanities to represent medical experience. It is concluded that, to be most effective, fostering the emotional development of trainees in the health professions necessitates the incorporation of affect-focused learning objectives, educational tasks, and assessment methods.

La douleur est prévalente en milieu clinique et pourtant, elle est relativement sous-représentée dans le cadre de la formation de la plupart des étudiants dans les professions de la santé. Puisque la douleur inclut à la fois des fonctions sensorielles-discriminatoires et des fonctions affectives, l’enseignement de la douleur aux étudiants présente des défis et des possibilités uniques. Le présent article décrit l’évolution d’un plan d’excellence clinique qui, entre autres compétences, intègre la nécessité d’assurer le développement affectif des apprenants. Ce cadre a été appliqué à l’élaboration et à la mise en œuvre de deux nouveaux cours sur la douleur. Le premier cours est conçu pour fournir des assises complètes de connais-sances médicales au sujet de la douleur, tout en présentant peu à peu les dimensions affectives de la douleur aux étudiants. Le deuxième cours est conçu pour mieux faire comprendre aux étudiants les effets protéiformes de la douleur par l’utilisation des sciences humaines pour représenter l’expérience médicale. Il conclut que, pour maximiser l’efficacité du développement affectif des stagiaires dans les professions de la santé, il faut intégrer des objectifs d’apprentissage axés sur l’affect, des tâches éducationnelles et des méthodes d’évaluation.

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