ROTATION: Pain Management - Veterans Administration Medical Center rotation (VAC); Shands Jacksonville Rotation (UMCPA)  
TYPE: Required or elective (CA-3 year) 
DURATION: 1 month 
FACULTY:  Jerry Berger, MD, Segudina Saga-Rumley, MD (VA); Timothy Steinberg, MD (Shands Jacksonville)

PREREQUISITES: Completion of the clinical base and at least 6 months of the CA-1 year 

CA-3 Level Rotation information - click here.

CORE ROTATION INFORMATION

The Anesthesiology department’s residency rotation for chronic pain management and the ACGME Pain Medicine Fellowship Program is sponsored through the University of Florida and is based at the Malcom Randal VA Medical Center (MR-VAMC), specifically in association with the Pain Management Clinic.   Rotations for Fellows to Gulf Coast Pain Specialists, P.A. in Pensacola will commence in July 2005, providing Fellows with additional opportunities in their comprehensive education and training program.

 

Residents in the core anesthesiology program gain experience by managing patients with acute perioperative pain primarily while rotating on the Regional Anesthesia rotation, the preoperative evaluation clinic, and the recovery room. Chronic pain management experience is obtained at the Pain Management Clinic at the VA Medical Center. This clinic is also staffed by our pain management specialist. Working together with the faculty members at the VA, a plan is developed and treatment initiated.  Approximately 1800 patients are seen at this clinic each year, and of these, 800 are new patients. Common pain problems treated are:  upper and lower back pain, cancer pain, complex regional pain syndrome, postherpetic neuralgia, pancreatic pain, phantom limb pain, diabetic neuropathies, and central and neuropathic pain of all origins.  Residents will be exposed to multiple procedures including among others:  stellate ganglion blocks, thoracic and lumbar sympathetic blocks, celiac plexus blocks, continuous interscalene and axillary blocks, and epidural and spinal blocks.  Residents will also become proficient in the use of pharmacologic pain control methods including narcotic analgesics, non-steroidal analgesics, antidepressants, anticonvulsants, hypnotics, and other relevant pain medications.

Advanced level elective rotations in pain management are available at the VA.  The advanced level resident can receive exposure to more difficult management problems and treatment modalities including invasive pain management modalities such as RACZ catheters and radiofrequency ablations.

 

Pain Management Contacts

@ MR-VAMC:
Andrea Trescot, MD, Pain Clinic Medical Director & Pain Medicine Fellowship Program Director
Vance Elshire, MD, Pain Clinic Staff Anesthesiologist
Emilio B. Lobato, MD, Acting Chief, Anesthesiology Service
Henry Richard, Program Support Assistant
Luann M. Cox, Pain Medicine Fellowship Program Coordinator
Timothy Steinberg, MD (Shands, Jacksonville)General Goals 

This rotation will help the anesthesia resident develop the skills to ameliorate suffering caused by chronic pain problems.  The resident will learn to use many indicated pain treatment modalities.  The resident will learn to perform an initial assessment of the patient with chronic pain, decide on appropriate diagnostic testing, develop skills in performing diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, and learn the appropriate use of pharmacotherapy.  In addition, the resident will develop communication skills helpful in developing a professional, therapeutic relationship with chronic pain patients and their families.  Using a multidisciplinary approach, the resident will learn to develop management strategies, tailoring pain management and treatment modalities to the patient's individual needs.  The resident completing the first rotation in pain management should be able to diagnose and treat the following common syndromes:

  • Trigeminal neuralgia
  • Post-herpetic neuralgia
  • Phantom limb pain
  • Diabetic neuropathy
  • Sympathetically mediated pain
  • Low back pain
  • Myofascial pain
  • Inflammatory mediated pain such as bursitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis related pain

SPECIFIC COMPETENCIES:  (General Competencies also apply)

Patient Care Skills

  • Assessment skills:
    • Performance of a thorough, goal-directed patient history with emphasis on historical information relevant to the patient's chronic pain problem.  Because the etiology of a chronic pain problem is often complex, the resident must be able to perform a complete, thorough history of the pain problem as well as a comprehensive review of all systems.
    • Performance of a thorough, goal-directed physical examination with emphasis on the neurologic system.  Because the etiology of a chronic pain problem is often complex, the resident must be able to perform a complete, comprehensive physical examination of all systems.
    • Appropriately order laboratory tests, radiologic studies, and psychological testing in order to assist in determining the nature / etiology of the patient's chronic pain problems.
    • Based on information obtained from the history, physical examination, and testing, develop a complete differential diagnosis of the patient's chronic pain problem.
      • Be able to differentiate among the different common chronic disease states including, but not limited to, neuropathic pain, sympathetically mediated pain and myofascial pain syndromes
  • Management skills
    • Be aware of the various available modalities for treatment of the patient with chronic pain and appropriately utilize a multidisciplinary approach to designing a treatment plan
    • Pharmacotherapy
      • Appropriately use the different classes of drugs available for the treatment of chronic pain syndromes (including opiates, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, anxiolytics, anticonvulsants, antidepressants, local anesthetics, and others)
    • Diagnostic and Therapeutic blocks
      • Perform appropriate pre-procedure evaluation
      • Obtain informed consent
      • Be able to perform common blocks including
        • Trigger point injections (myofascial pain)
        • Cervical, thoracic and lumbar epidural blocks (both diagnostic and therapeutic) and steroid injections
        • Sympathetic blocks (diagnostic and therapeutic)
          • Stellate ganglion (cervical)
          • Lumbar sympathetic block
          • Celiac plexus block
        • Facet joint injections
        • Other blocks as available each month including radiofrequency lesions, neurolytic blocks and others - these are mainly fellow-level procedures, but may be done by residents if patient volume is available
    • Know when it is appropriate to refer patients to different specialists for definitive or adjunctive therapy, for example, neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, neurology
  • Provide appropriate post-procedural follow up and continuing care
  • Provide appropriate continuing care for patients receiving non-procedural treatment

Medical Knowledge

  • Know current theories regarding the pathophysiology of chronic pain syndromes
    • Based on an understanding of the pathophysiology of each syndrome, know which syndromes are best handled by pharmacotherapy, physical or occupational therapy, therapeutic interventional procedures, or alternative pain management methods such as massage therapy or acupuncture.  Know which pain syndromes are best treated with more invasive modalities such as dorsal column stimulation, implantable morphine pumps to provide intrathecal morphine, or ablative procedures such as dorsal root entry zone lesions or radiofrequency lesions.
  • Neuroanatomy relevant to the performance of diagnostic and therapeutic blocks
    • Learn the anatomy of the sympathetic and somatic nervous systems, specifically, the anatomy of the epidural and subarachnoid spaces and the location of sympathetic and parasympathetic ganglia
    • Know the cutaneous dermatomal mappings 
  • Medical conditions that may cause chronic pain (e.g. herpes zoster)
  • Know the types of drugs that relieve pain and their efficacy, indications, doses, side effects, interactions, and contraindications - specifically:
    • opiates
    • non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs
    • anticonvulsants
    • local anesthetics
    • antidepressant medications
    • sedatives
    • anxiolytics
    • How doses and dosing intervals may have to be adjusted in patients with chronic pain
  • Know the different modalities of physical therapy that may relieve both acute and chronic pain and learn how to obtain such therapy 
  • Know the indications and efficacy of each of the above described blocks for common chronic pain syndromes.
  • Know the complications associated with each of the above described blocks

INTERPERSONAL AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS, PROFESSIONALISM

  • See general competencies section
  • Learn interpersonal skills that enable the anesthesiologist to communicate effectively with the difficult, hostile or needy chronic pain patient
  • Gain skills to be able to prevent being manipulated by patients with chronic pain and to maintain control of the therapeutic relationship
  • Learn to accept the slow pace of improvement often seen in this patient population
  • Learn to effectively communicate with other professionals who have skills helpful to the patient with chronic pain
  • Learn to communicate effectively with the patient's primary care physician to gain information needed for your evaluation of the patient and to provide ideal continuing longer term care for the patient.

 PRACTICE-BASED LEARNING AND IMPROVEMENT

  • See general competencies section
  • Learn to efficiently manage a pain clinic that must (and often simultaneously):
    • Evaluate new patients
    • See return / follow-up patients
    • Perform invasive procedures
    • Deal with multiple phone calls from patients

SYSTEMS-BASED PRACTICE

  • Appropriately utilize consultants and laboratory testing to correctly diagnose and develop treatment plans for patients with chronic pain
  • Anticipate the impact of each patient's pain pathology and planned procedure(s) on the level of subsequent care and follow-up required.
  • Integrate the care of the pain management specialist with the patient's primary care physician to best manage the overall patient.
  • Practice cost-effective, safe pain management

 

Evaluation to Determine Goal Achievement:

  • At the end of the rotation, you will take a short oral examination designed to specifically test ability to diagnose common pain syndromes and knowledge of commonly applied treatments for these syndromes. The answers will be reviewed at the time of the examination. 
  • Knowledge and skills in the management of acute pain will be tested by an oral examination in which you discuss a case scenario and your approach to the case 
  • You are evaluated online weekly by all attendings who worked with you. The attending physicians complete a Departmental Resident Evaluation Form, which are reviewed quarterly by the Clinical Competence Committee and continuously by the program director.  Your advisor informs you of any problems identified, and serious problems will be discussed with you immediately after they occur. 
  • You will complete a Departmental Rotation Evaluation Form. 
  • The Resident Education Director will evaluate the results of the In-Training Examination for the American Board of Anesthesiologists (ABA) in general and for areas of departmental weakness. Consistent weaknesses will result in adjustment of the above goals. 

Teaching Resources to Accomplish the Objectives 

  • Veterans Administration Medical Center: 6241 total patients undergoing 4229 procedures as follows: 
    • Trigger point injections: 1001
    • Acupuncture therapy:  1518
    • Facet injections:  225
    • Sacroiliac injections:  9
    • Epidural steroid injections:  139
    • Racz catheter insertions:  6
    • Radiofrequency lesions:  156
    • Selective nerve root injections:  26
    • Lumbar sympathetic blocks:  3
    • Stellate ganglion blocks :  2
    • Massage therapy:  809
    • Peripheral nerve block:  308
    • Discography:  2
  • Text books:
    • Waldman SD.  Interventional Pain Management, 2nd Edition.  W.B. Saunders Co, New York, 2001
    • Raj PP.  Practical Management of Pain, 3rd Edition.  Mosby, 2000.
    • Benzon et al.  Essentials of Pain Medicine and Regional Anesthesia, Churchill Livingstone, 1999.
    • Abram SE, Haddox JD.  The Pain Clinic Manual., 2nd Edition.  Williams and Wilkins, Philadelphia, 2000.
    • Netter FH. Atlas of Human Anatomy., 2nd Edition.  ICON Learning Systems, New Jersey, 1997
    • Cousins MJ, Bridenbaugh PO.  Neural Blockade in Clinical Anesthesia and the Management of Pain, 3rd Edition.  Lippincott-Raven, Philadelphia, 1998.
  • Faculty: 
    • Jerry J. Berger, M.D.
    • Segudina Saga-Rumley, MD  
    • Timothy Steinberg, MD
    • Lori Dangler, MD (Acute Pain)
       
  • Dr. Saga-Rumley is the faculty member responsible for the primary rotations in the CA-2 year and CA-3 level electives done at the VA.  

 CA3 ADVANCED CLINICAL TRACK ROTATION IN PAIN MANAGEMENT

CA3 rotations in Chronic Pain Management are available at the VA Medical Center, and Shands, Jacksonville.  Goals and Competencies are the same for all locations, but the types of patients seen are different at each location.  For residents rotating in pain management rotations for 4-6 months, a clinical research project must be designed, initiated, and preferably completed with the assistant of a pain management faculty member.  These residents will also be directly instructed in the management and administration of a pain clinic.

  • VA Medical Center - same as described above - primarily elderly male veteran patients
  • Shands Jacksonville:  This rotation will take place at the comprehensive pain center located in Jacksonville.  The patient population will be primarily those patients with chronic pain disorders relating to congenital, acquired, and degenerative diseases of the spine.  Residents rotating here will be exposed to spinal cord stimulation and morphine pump placement (only location where this is currently done)

PATIENT CARE SKILLS:

  • Be able to independently evaluate and develop a treatment plan for patients with common pain syndromes including:
    • Trigeminal neuralgia
    • Post-herpetic neuralgia
    • Phantom limb pain
    • Diabetic neuropathy
    • Sympathetically mediated pain
    • Low back pain
    • Myofascial pain
    • Inflammatory mediated pain such as bursitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis related pain
    • Visceral pain
  • Evaluate and prepare patients for more invasive pain management modalities including
    • Facet injections
    • Racz catheter insertion
    • Radiofrequency lesions
    • Selective nerve root injections
    • Dorsal column stimulation and stimulator implantation
    • Morphine pump implantation
    • Deep Brain Stimulation (theoretical knowledge only)
    • Celiac plexus block
    • Vertebroplasty
    • Intradiscal Electrothermal Therapy (IDET)
  • Participate in the following pain procedures
    • Facet injections
    • Racz catheter insertion
    • Radiofrequency lesions
    • Selective nerve root injections
    • Dorsal column stimulation and stimulator implantation
    • Morphine pump implantation
    • Deep Brain Stimulation (theoretical knowledge only)
    • Celiac plexus block
    • Vertebroplasty
    • IDET
    • All procedures listed above for the primary rotation

MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE

  • Know indications, efficacy, contraindications, and complications of the following pain procedures:
    • Facet injections
    • Racz catheter insertion
    • Radiofrequency lesions
    • Selective nerve root injections
    • Dorsal column stimulation
    • Morphine pump implantation
    • Deep Brain Stimulation (theoretical knowledge only)
    • Celiac Plexus block
    • Vertebroplasty
    • Intradiscal Electrothermal Therapy (IDET)
  • Know supportive neuroanatomy to facilitate performance of these more invasive blocks:
    • Facet injections
    • Racz catheter insertion
    • Radiofrequency lesions
    • Selective nerve root injections
    • Dorsal column stimulation
    • Morphine pump implantation
    • Celiac Plexus Block
    • IDET
    • Vertebroplasty
    • Deep Brain Stimulation (theoretical knowledge only)
  • Organization and administration of a Pain Clinic

RETURN TO INDEX FOR GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
Revised 3/2007