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. 2021 May 13;8(5):390.
doi: 10.3390/children8050390.

Recommendations for a Pediatric Pain Education Curriculum for Physical and Occupational Therapists: Scoping Review and Survey

Marjan Laekeman  1 , Axel Schäfer  2 , Martina Egan Moog  3 , Katrin Kuss  4
Affiliations

Recommendations for a Pediatric Pain Education Curriculum for Physical and Occupational Therapists: Scoping Review and Survey

Marjan Laekeman et al. Children (Basel). .

Abstract

Specialization training for physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and sports therapists involved in pediatric pain is scarce and curricula are rarely published. The objectives of this study are twofold: firstly, to perform a scoping review to derive important contents for a pediatric pain education curriculum for specialized pain therapists. Secondly, to conduct a survey on specific contents in curricula currently used by pain experts and to obtain their evaluation regarding the importance of such contents for a specialized curriculum. The review substantiated the importance of a specific curriculum in pediatric pain education, but provided little information on adequate contents. In the survey, 45 experts in pediatric pain education confirmed that specific curricula and specialized contents for pediatric pain education are missing. Their answers give a well-defined picture of the specifics needed in the interaction with a pediatric population. The most important items they classified were e.g., the biopsychosocial framework and the impact of pediatric pain on daily life. Those expert ratings were in line with the recommendations of pediatric pain management guidelines. Further curriculum work in an interdisciplinary, international network is highly recommended.

Keywords: curriculum; education; occupational therapists; pain; pediatrics; physical therapists; review; survey.

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Conflict of interest statement

M.L., M.E.M. and K.K. developed and teach a postgraduate specialized pain physiotherapy training (based on the IASP Curriculum), which contains a 4-h pediatric pain module, through the German Pain Society. All authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Theoretical framework of the study. The grey parts of this figure have been finished and are reported in this article. The white part remains to be done in the future.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Flowchart of the study selection process.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Response categories with highest/lowest accordance in area 1 (Multidimensionality). […..]: omission of items in the medium range.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Response categories with highest/lowest accordance in area 2 (Assessment). […..]: omission of items in the medium range.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Response categories with highest/lowest accordance in area 3 (Management). […..]: omission of items. BPS: biopsychosocial; CAM: complement & alternative therapy interventions.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Response categories with highest/lowest accordance in area 4 (Clinical conditions).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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