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The national strategic action plan for pain management
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The National Strategic Action Plan for Pain Management is a nationally co-ordinated effort to address the effective care and management for people living with chronic pain in Australia. It presents a whole-of-care approach, with a focus on supporting self-management, to reduce the burden of chronic pain on the individual and the community, and increase quality of life for people living with this condition.
The Action plan sets out 8 key priority actions to improve access to and knowledge of best practice pain management, around the themes of: coordination and leadership; care; implementation; research; prevention and support.
The Action Plan is sector-led and has been developed by Painaustralia with funding from the Australian Government Department of Health. The draft Action Plan was completed in late 2019, and was endorsed by all Health Ministers in early 2021, after consideration was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. All Health Ministers have agreed that the Action Plan now replaces the 2010 National Pain Strategy as the overarching guiding document for pain management in Australia.
Since development of the Action Plan, the Australian Government has provided early implementation funding of $2.5 million for:
- the training of health professionals to enable them to participate more effectively in pain management care;
- the development of an education strategy, to improve the availability of, and access to, consistent and up to date information, training and education programs for health professionals regarding the appropriate management and care for people living with chronic pain; and
- supporting consumer education and awareness for people affected by pain.