Key topics

• Prevalence and impact of cancer related pain within society.
• Exploration of pain definitions and concepts of ‘total pain’ and ‘biopsychosocial’ models.
• Pain physiology including mechanisms of nociceptive, neuropathic pain and the development from acute to chronic pain.
• Holistic needs of the family / career of the individual living with and beyond cancer related pain.
• Discuss the pharmacodynamics and evidence base for opioid and non-opioid analgesia
• Discuss the role of non-pharmacological strategies and their evidence base.
• Understand the role of interventional analgesia such as regional blocks and intrathecal opioid pumps in the management of complex cancer pain. 

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the module at Level 6 you should be able to demonstrate achievement of the following learning outcomes:​

• Explore the physiological mechanisms involved in cancer-related pain transmissions and discuss the difference between acute, chronic, nociceptive, and neuropathic pain states
• Discuss the concept of ‘total pain’ and link this back to the individual living with and beyond cancer
• Demonstrate the ability to perform a holistic pain assessment that addresses all aspects of the ‘total pain’ experience
• Discuss your role within the wider interdisciplinary team in the assessment and management of cancer-related pain
• Identify the components of a multi-modal pain management plan that addresses the total pain experience and includes both pharmacological and non-pharmacology interventions

On successful completion of the module at Level 7 you should be able to demonstrate achievement of the following learning outcomes:​

• Examine and comprehensively understand the physiological mechanisms involved in cancer-related pain transmissions and outline the difference between acute, chronic, nociceptive, and neuropathic pain states
• Critically explore the concept of ‘total pain’ and relate this back to the individual living with and beyond cancer
• Demonstrate the ability to perform a holistic pain assessment that addresses all aspects of the ‘total pain’ experience
• Critically discuss the role of the wider interdisciplinary team and explore their roles in the assessment and management of cancer-related pain
• Develop a pain management plan that addresses the total pain experience by adopting non-pharmacological and pharmacological treatment modalities with a critical discussion of the rationale for your choices

Dates

We are currently working on new dates for the 2022/23 academic year. Please sign up for our Education Matters newsletter here and you will be informed of the new dates by the end of June 2022.

Assessment

There is a two-part assessment for this module:

• Part one will be a case study presentation.
• Part two will be an evaluative conversation between the learner and a member of the module team.

Student support

Tutorials with the module leader or personal tutor are available if students require additional help with the planning and writing of their assignments. Email and telephone support are also available from the module leader/personal tutor.

The Royal Marsden School uses an online environment called Moodle which students must access during their studies to support and enhance our courses. The site provides resources and communication tools. All students will be provided with a username and password to access module specific sections as well as general learning support such as study skills and library resources. Students also have access to the David Adams Library and Electronic Resource Centre. 

To get the best from the live video-conferencing sessions and enable you to participate fully you should have access to a computer or laptop with a camera and microphone. If you have any concerns or need help, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Related pathways

This is a stand alone module and currently it cannot be taken as a part of any of our programmes.