COMPUTERIZED TRAINING IN CANCER PAIN MANAGEMENT

MOST PAIN SUFFERED BY CANCER PATIENTS CAN BE CONTROLLED. THE GAP IN TREATMENT IS NOT CAUSED BY LACK OF KNOWLEDGE OR BY LACK OF MEDICATIONS, BUT BY THE HESITANCY OF PROFESSIONALS TO ADMINISTER NARCOTIC DRUGS, THE LACK OF EXPERTISE IN THE TREATMENT COMMUNITY, AND THE NEED FOR EFFECTIVE TREATMENT REGIMENS. FOR CHILDREN WITH CANCER, THERE ARE ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS; FOR EXAMPLE, CHILDREN'SINABILITY TO DESCRIBE PAIN, DENIAL OF PAIN FOR FEAR OF SHOTS, AND ADJUSTING TO RECURRING PAIN. IN THIS PROJECT, A SELF-DIRECTED, INTERACTIVE COMPUTER SIMULATION WILL BE DEVELOPED TO TEACH MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS HOW TO PLAN PAIN CONTROL REGIMENS. THE OBJECTIVES OF PHASE I ARE TO: DEVELOP PROTOTYPE SIMULATION SOFTWARE ON PLANNING PAIN MANAGEMENT, PILOT TEST THE SOFTWARE, AND ASSESS THE FEASIBILITY OF ONLINE DISTRIBUTION. IN PHASE II, THE PROTOTYPE WILL BE EXPANDED TO COVER PAIN CONTROL DECISIONS FOR ALL SITUATIONS OF CHILDREN WITH CANCER. A COMPANION PACKAGE FOR THOSE ADMINISTERING TREATMENTS WILL BE DEVELOPED, ALONG WITH SUPPORT MATERIALS AND STRATEGIES FOR MAINTAINING AND UPGRADING THE TEXT.