The Weight of Pain: What does a 10 on the Pain Scale Mean? An Innovative Use of Art in Medical Education to Enhance Pain Management.

Bonnie Marr, MD Emergency Medicine resident

In collaboration with the RISD Museum, this project will use museum objects as a means to improve the way physicians understand and respond to patients in pain. By focusing on metacognition skills like observation, deduction and speculation, the museum will serve as a neutral platform for discussing this complicated and essential issue. The goals of this educational experience includes building awareness into how one recognizes and validates the pain of another. This process is critical for the successful treatment of pain, which is complicated by two epidemics--meeting the challenge of oligoanalgesia (the undertreatment of pain) at a time of record opioid abuse. The desired result of the session is for participants to reflect on their own practice patterns and biases, to discuss mechanisms for improvement, to remove barriers to responsible pain management. Initial sessions will focus on physicians, with the hope that the experience can be adapted and expanded for Emergency Department staff and medical students.

(This project is supported by a 2012-2013 UEMF Resident Education and Service Grant)