Simulation-Based Learning for Pain Medicine: A Scoping Review of Undergraduate Education

Background: Pain medicine is under-represented in medical curricula worldwide, potentially contributing to barriers to best practice in acute and chronic pain management. Simulation-based education (SBE) is an established educational tool, though its utility has not been fully explored in relation to pain medicine. We undertook a scoping review to identify how SBE has featured in pain management undergraduate education. We wanted to know how SBE affects undergraduate medical students’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes in pain medicine. Methods: We searched Medline, EMBASE, PubMed and PsychInfo databases. Key terms in the search string were simulation-based education AND medical student AND pain medicine AND education OR confidence. We applied Arksey and O’Malley’s framework for analysis. We additionally recorded whether included studies reported learning according to Kirkpatrick’s modified four levels of learning. Findings: Twelve studies were included in the review. Both acute and chronic pain were addressed. The most common form of SBE reported in the included studies was learning with standardised patients. Key results from across the included studies were: SBE improves medical students’ knowledge, skills and attitudes in pain medicine; SBE informs student attitudes and confidence to manage patient pain effectively; and SBE can be effective for reducing stigmatisation of patients with chronic pain. Student satisfaction with the reported SBE interventions was high. Eleven studies (92%) only collected data on learner satisfaction, equating to a Kirkpatrick Level 1 educational outcome. However, nine studies (75%) also evaluated the simulation intervention’s effect on participant learning, equating to a Kirkpatrick Level 2 educational outcome (learning). Conclusion: SBE can be an effective method of undergraduate medical education in pain medicine. Further research should examine the way SBE can affect medical students’ attitudes towards patients with chronic pain.