Study designs of evaluations included in the review
Inclusion criteria were not specified in terms of the study design.
Specific interventions included in the review
Studies that evaluated programmes aimed at teaching behavioural pain management techniques, either alone or in combination with physical and pharmacological methods, were eligible for inclusion. The included studies differed with respect to the types of intervention, format of delivery, types of pain targeted and duration of the programme (range: 2 hours to 2 weeks). Where reported, the interventions included relaxation, breathing and mental imagery techniques and strategies to increase their use, conditioning theory, acquisition and extinction of behaviour, reinforcement and punishment, distraction, cognitive restructuring, music, reassurance, environmental manipulation, provision of information and emotional support, promotion of autonomy, biofeedback, hypnosis, and unspecified 'non-pharmacological' and 'psychological' interventions. Delivery formats, where specified, were lectures, workshops, seminars, skill practice, quizzes, homework, discussion and observation. Where reported, the types of pain targeted included procedural, post-operative, acute, chronic and cancer-related pain in children and adults.
Participants included in the review
Studies of current or future health care professionals were eligible for inclusion. Most of the primary studies included nurses; others included medical students, medical residents, various health care professionals and hospital staff.
Outcomes assessed in the review
Inclusion criteria were not specified in terms of the outcomes. The included studies most commonly assessed knowledge and attitudes; others assessed outcomes such as patient pain scores, patient satisfaction, application of knowledge, number and quality of psychosocial techniques used, documentation of pain, perception of pain management techniques, skill acquisition, administration of analgesia and comfort with behavioural techniques. The majority of the included studies only assessed outcomes using self-report; some studies used direct observation or indicators of patient care. Most studies used measures developed for the study.
How were decisions on the relevance of primary studies made?
The authors did not state how the papers were selected for the review, or how many reviewers performed the selection.