Helping veterinary professionals qualify and treat pain in companion animals is the goal of a new certificate launched by the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA).
Based on the updated Global Guidelines for the Recognition, Assessment, and Treatment of Pain, WSAVA’s Certificate in Pain Management aims to raise awareness of the importance of pain management for patient health and welfare, as well as provide practical help to veterinary professionals who wish to refresh or deepen their knowledge in this area.
The course, which is supported by Zoetis and the International Veterinary Academy for Pain Management (IVAPM), consists of three modules with tailored content for veterinarians and veterinary nurses/technicians. These include:
- Understanding and assessing pain
- Preventing and treating pain
- Pain management in practice
“[This certificate] will help veterinary professionals understand the critical importance of pain management for companion animal health and welfare,” says WSAVA Global Pain Council (GPC) chair, Bea Monteiro, PhD, PgDip, ISFM AdvCert FB. “It will show them how to assess pain using the latest knowledge of pain-related behaviors and validated pain scales. Finally, it will guide them in treating pain effectively, using the most appropriate drug and non-drug therapies, based on the availability of particular analgesics and other therapies in the region of the world in which they are in practice.”
The WSAVA Certificate in Pain Management is currently available in English and is being submitted for RACE accreditation. For more, click here.