The Fast Track Pain Management project impacts on activity-based funding, consumer outcomes, equity of access for all relevant stakeholders and drives Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research specific to persistent pain management.
Fast Track Pain Management
Summary
Aim
Improve access to pain management for three vulnerable groups: Rural and Remote, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, Frail and Elderly.
Benefits
- improved access to high value care to our three large vulnerable groups
- decreased Emergency Department presentations for persistent pain
- increased regional and rural clinician skills in persistent pain management
- optimised patient pain management medication.
Background
The Pain is everybody’s business report shows people living in rural and remote areas are less able to attend appointments to persistent pain services.
First Nations people have unique pain management needs and are less likely to be referred to a persistent pain management services, despite similar or slightly higher prevalence rates of musculoskeletal pain than their non-indigenous counterparts.
Pain is currently under-diagnosed and inadequately managed in Australian residential aged care facilities (RACFs). The Australian Pain Society proposes indicators for the assessment of pain in residential aged care facilities and for an ideal pain management system.