INCREASING ACCESS TO PAINĀ MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS USINGĀ THE INTERNET
Presenter: Dear B
Dr Blake Dear will contribute as a Psychologist with special expertise in
the development and delivery of innovative online e-health programs for
anxiety, depression and persistent pain.
There is strong evidence that timely access to multidisciplinary pain
management can significantly reduce the disability, anxiety and depression
associated with chronic pain. However, access to multidisciplinary pain
management programs is significantly limited, both nationally and
internationally. Common barriers to these programs include the direct
and indirect costs, mobility limitations, long waitlists, distance and their
decreasing availability outside of metropolitan areas. This has led several
research groups to explore the potential of using the internet to deliver
the psychological component of pain management programs as a way of
increasing access to treatment. This presentation will briefly describe
the results of several Australian clinical trials examining the efficacy of an
internet-delivered pain management program.
CPD Points: 0.25