Engaging School Providers to Manage Student Pain in Michigan Schools
Engaging School Providers to Manage Student Pain in Michigan Schools
The aim of this project is to develop and test the Helping Educators Learn Pediatric Pain Assessment & Intervention Needs (HELP Pain) program. HELP Pain provides training for school providers (e.g., school nurses, mental health professionals) on strategies to assess and manage pain-related concerns in school children. Participants will learn cognitive behavioral therapy techniques to help school children manage pain, and report on their use of strategies, and child's progress throughout the school year. Follow-up data will be collected in year 2.
Chronic pain is common among school children, and impacts social, emotional and academic functioning. School providers are often tasked with addressing student pain, but may have limited training in evidence-based pain management strategies. Thus, the PI developed a training program, HELP Pain, to train school providers, such as school nurses and mental health professionals, in cognitive behavioral therapy strategies for addressing student pain. In this study, the feasibility and acceptability of the training program will be evaluated. Provider knowledge will be evaluated before and after receiving the HELP Pain training. Further, the use of HELP Pain strategies with students and their associated disability and pain outcomes will be evaluated. Results will help to tailor the HELP Pain training program for future use.
Inclusion Criteria: