Contemporary Pain Neuroscience Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Pain Among University Students

Purpose: Healthcare education programs often inadequately address contemporary pain neuroscience, leaving future professionals ill-prepared to address the pervasive and biopsychosocial problem of chronic pain. Exploration of the level of understanding of contemporary pain neuroscience and the attitudes toward people in pain among university students may help educators identify appropriate roles for students in pain related interprofessional education events. This study assessed and compared knowledge of contemporary pain neuroscience and attitudes and beliefs toward individuals experiencing pain among university students.
Design: Cross-sectional observational study
Methods: 284 undergraduate and graduate, healthcare and non-healthcare students completed the revised Neurophysiology of Pain Questionnaire and the Health Care Providers’ Pain and Impairment Relationship Scale.
Results: Findings revealed a widespread lack of contemporary pain neuroscience knowledge and misinformed attitudes and beliefs about individuals in pain across most groups. Physical Therapy students demonstrated significantly greater contemporary pain neuroscience knowledge and more informed attitudes and beliefs compared to all non-physical therapy healthcare and non-healthcare students. Surprisingly, non-healthcare students displayed comparable contemporary pain neuroscience to healthcare undergraduate and non-physical therapy graduate students, further highlighting gaps in healthcare curricula. Attitudes and beliefs toward individuals in pain were deficient among non-physical therapy healthcare majors and non-healthcare students alike.
Conclusions: These results underscore the need for comprehensive, contemporary pain neuroscience education across healthcare disciplines.

研究目的：当前医护教育项目往往未能充分覆盖当代疼痛神经科学相关内容，致使未来的医护从业者难以应对慢性疼痛这一兼具生物-心理-社会属性的普遍性难题。针对大学生群体的当代疼痛神经科学认知水平及对疼痛患者的态度展开探究，可帮助教育工作者明确学生在疼痛相关跨专业教育活动中的适宜定位。本研究针对大学生群体的当代疼痛神经科学知识、对疼痛患者的态度与信念进行评估与对比分析。
研究设计：横断面观察性研究
研究方法：共招募284名本科及研究生层次的医护类与非医护类学生，采用修订版疼痛神经生理学问卷（revised Neurophysiology of Pain Questionnaire）与医护人员疼痛与损伤关系量表（Health Care Providers’ Pain and Impairment Relationship Scale）完成数据收集。
研究结果：结果显示，多数群体普遍缺乏当代疼痛神经科学相关知识，且对疼痛患者存在认知偏差与不当态度信念。物理治疗（Physical Therapy）专业学生的当代疼痛神经科学知识水平显著优于其他非物理治疗类医护专业学生及非医护类学生，其对疼痛患者的态度与信念也更为科学合理。值得注意的是，非医护类学生的当代疼痛神经科学认知水平与医护类本科生及非物理治疗类研究生相当，这进一步凸显了医护课程体系中存在的认知缺口。此外，非物理治疗类医护专业学生与非医护类学生均普遍存在对疼痛患者的不当态度与信念。
研究结论：本研究结果表明，各医护学科亟需开展全面且贴合前沿的疼痛神经科学教育。