"CARING in Action": A Knowledge Mobilization Project on Co-Creating Evidence-Based Communication Training in Chronic Pain Care for Healthcare Professionals.

BACKGROUND

Pain is a complex and multifactorial experience shaped by biopsychosocial and contextual factors. Communication gaps between healthcare professionals and people living with pain persist as a major barrier to effective and patient-centered care. Supporting the education of healthcare professionals is essential to improving patient satisfaction and the overall experience of care for both healthcare professionals and people living with pain.

AIMS: To address this gap in pain care communication, this paper aims to describe the CARING in Action project, a patient-oriented approach to co-developing resource materials and a dissemination strategy to enhance knowledge mobilization and implementation.

METHODS

This project employed a participatory co-creation design informed by Canada's Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research. Patient partners contributed across all stages, from idea conceptualization, to planning and dissemination. We identified communication gaps, adapted evidence to context, and held iterative virtual and in-person workshops with people with lived experience, healthcare professionals, researchers, and trainees. Prototype materials were refined through three cycles of iteration, resulting in an evidence-informed, educational tool shaped by diverse interest holder perspectives and strengthened by a process prioritizing consensus-building, inclusivity, and validation.

RESULTS

The final eight-module is a self-directed online educational resource for licensed and trainee healthcare professionals, to strengthen effective communications with people living with pain.

DISCUSSION: This initiative generated concrete knowledge products that support culturally attuned communication and relational approaches to pain management. Together, these outputs provide practical resources for healthcare professionals and trainees across pre-licensure and post-licensure education, supporting the implementation of patient-centered communication practices in pain care.