Does feeling pain help prepare future clinicians to treat pain? A qualitative exploration of a novel experiential approach to teaching health professional students about pain

Background and introduction: Pain is a subjective phenomenon, that is often misunderstood and invalidated. Despite recent advances in health professional training, it remains unclear how students should be taught about the subjectivity of pain. This study explored how a novel teaching activity that integrated physiotherapy students' first-hand experiences with laboratory-induced pain could address this gap.

Objective: The study aimed to explore the experiences and perceptions of physiotherapy students in relation to a workshop where physiotherapy students experienced laboratory induced pain.

Methods: We used a descriptive qualitative research design. Eighteen students participated in interviews. Transcripts were analyzed using an inductive conventional content analysis.

Results: We identified four overarching themes: 1) First-hand pain experiences facilitated engagement in learning; 2) Reflecting on these personal and peer pain experiences helped students make sense of pain; 3) The learning activity helped students understand the inherent subjectivity and complexity of pain; and 4) Students saw benefits for clinical practice.

Conclusion: Integrating first-hand pain experiences within entry-level physiotherapy training appears to have novel value in helping students understand pain subjectivity. Future research should use robust and controlled designs to explore how this novel approach can be used to facilitate further understanding and empathy within clinical interactions with people living with pain.