Interprofessional Team-Based Learning Module: Chronic Non-Cancer Pain

Abstract

Abstract This resource is an interprofessional education (IPE) module which uses team-based learning as an instructional strategy to teach internal medicine residents, pharmacy residents and students, and psychology graduate students about providing collaborative care to patients with chronic pain in the ambulatory primary care setting. The clinical case used in the case-based exercise was derived by the authors from their shared experiences in caring for patients with chronic pain in an urban, underserved patient population. The authors collaboratively developed the learning objectives, readiness assurance tests (RATs), the case, and the case discussion points. Discipline-specific learning objectives were determined prior the exercise, and suggested readings were assigned to the participants. The participants were divided into teams of six to eight individuals, the majority of which were internal medicine residents, with one or two pharmacy residents and psychology students assigned to each team. Several of the authors served as faculty facilitators during the 2-hour learning session. An individual RAT was administered to the participants the beginning of the session. The RAT was then readministered to the teams, and they were encouraged to collaborate on their answers. The teams then shared their answers with the group as a whole. The facilitators reviewed the answers with the group, encouraging debate and open discussion between the teams. The teams then moved to a case-based exercise, answering questions together by sharing the knowledge of their respective disciplines. After each section of the case, the teams reviewed their answers with the group as a whole, with facilitators again encouraging open discussion and debate. Facilitators used a guide which outlined key teaching points to meet the predetermined learning objectives.

Keywords

• Interprofessional
• TBL
• Team-Based Learning
• Pain