The short-term and long-term influence of a single pain education session on knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of doctor of physical therapy students

Significant changes occurred in knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs regarding pain immediately after an educational session. Pain knowledge increased one year later, but sustained changes in attitudes and beliefs regarding pain were mixed at one year follow-up. A single education session alone may be insufficient to change attitudes and beliefs in the long term. It is not known if a more frequent mode of delivery, or content threaded through several courses across the curriculum may lead to greater changes long-term. Further research determining the mode, frequency, and integration of pain-related content with other content in a DPT curriculum is needed.