Our on-going research programme:

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1. The impact of pain on individuals and their families
2. Previously completed research studies
3. Consultancy
4. Training and supervision
5. Other research interests

PainConsultants is engaged in a programme of research exploring the impact of chronic pain on individuals, their partners, families and significant others.

• Our recent survey "Provision for Carers: What do Pain Management Programmes Offer?" highlighted that just over 50% of responding programmes make provision for carer involvement. The majority offer a dedicated session, although a few have an open invitation system. Involvement generally means educating carers about the philosophy and nature of pain management so that they can "encourage helpful habits" at home. Just 12 PMPs focus upon the carers own needs.
  
  
• Funds are now being sought for a follow up study to test and evaluate the utility and benefit of involving carers in pain management programmes.
  
  
• Partners are now being sought for a large multi-centre study to test different models of carer involvement inn pain management programmes. If you think you might be interested, please contact us for further details.

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PainConsultants team members have been involved in pain related research for a number of years. Completed studies include:

• The efficacy of post-operative analgesia for unilateral total knee replacement
• Chronic groin pain after coronary angiography
• The discontinuation of patient controlled analgesic systems
• The impact of self-generated pain coping strategies on postoperative outcomes - including the development of the Patient Strategies Questionnaire (PSQ)
• Self-efficacy and coping style in understanding pain perception, mood state and functional impact
• The influence of interviewer gender on patient narratives
• The management of acute and chronic pain in an acute NHS Trust
• A ward based training programme on non-pharmacological management of acute pain
• Attitudes to pain amongst undergraduates
• The prioritisation of pain management in the under-graduate curriculum

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PainConsultants can advise on:

• The design and conduct of pain related studies
• Research ethics
• User involvement in research
• Project management

To discuss your needs please contact us.

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PainConsultants can offer training in:

• Research ethics
• A variety of research designs including RCTs, action research and phenomenology
• Research methods including experiments, questionnaires, focus groups, interviews and critical reflective discussions
• Writing for publication

Our experienced team is currently supervising:

• A doctoral study on Patient dignity in acute care settings
• A masters dissertation examining cardiovascular risk in HIV
• A commercial project on mobility
• A clinical nurse specialist undertaking the nurse prescribing course
• Occupational Therapy students on an NHS pain management programme

Testimonials:

"Excellent framing of action research methodology in the real life experience of her own research"

"Particularly clear on the philosophy i.e. positivism and naturalism"

"It was an opportunity to reflect on work done and consider the learning that needs to take place."

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Other areas of research interest include:

• Research ethics
• Developing the research capability of others
• User involvement
• Collaborative research approaches

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