Secondary prevention of chronic pain in Eastern Melbourne

The issue

A recent report from the Australia Prevention Partnership Centre concluded that opportunities to prevent subacute pain from transitioning to chronic pain are sometimes missed in the primary care setting.

Why Secondary Prevention of Chronic Pain Matters

Secondary prevention can help identify opportunities to support people before acute or subacute pain develops into persistent chronic pain. Understanding patient experiences, service access, referral pathways and barriers to recovery can help primary care systems respond earlier and more effectively.

What’s happening in Eastern Melbourne?

Eastern Melbourne Primary Healthcare Network (EMPHN) is undertaking a mapping of pain recovery services in the primary care domain in its catchment, to inform recommendations for future work in this area.

EMPHN wants to understand service entry points, failure points, and service gaps for consumers at risk of progressing to chronic pain post-surgery, post-trauma or post-diagnosis of pain-related conditions.

This includes, for example, feedback on navigating the primary health system, medication management for pain, awareness of services and referral pathways, as well as ability to seek local support. 

Early Intervention for Chronic Pain in Primary Care

Early intervention can play an important role in preventing acute or subacute pain from becoming persistent. In primary care, this may involve identifying people at higher risk of ongoing pain, reviewing barriers to recovery and connecting patients with appropriate services at the right time. Larter supports health service planning approaches that consider patient experiences, local service availability and referral pathways. Mapping these factors can help Primary Health Networks and healthcare providers identify opportunities to strengthen chronic pain prevention and improve continuity of care.

Mapping Chronic Pain Services and Care Pathways

Effective chronic pain care pathways should make it easier for patients to move between primary care, allied health, pain specialists and other relevant services. Mapping these pathways can reveal where people experience delays, unclear referral processes or limited access to local support. For Primary Health Networks, this information can inform service planning and help identify practical opportunities to improve coordination. A stronger focus on early intervention and connected care can support people during the period when acute or subacute pain may otherwise progress toward persistent pain.

Mapping pain recovery services helps Primary Health Networks identify gaps between service entry points, referrals and ongoing support. This evidence can inform health service planning and help improve coordination between GPs, nurses, pain clinicians and multidisciplinary services.

Using Consumer Insights to Improve Pain Services

Understanding the experiences of people living with pain is an important part of improving healthcare delivery. Combining consumer perspectives with insights from GPs, nurses and pain clinicians can help identify practical opportunities to strengthen referral pathways, service access and continuity of care.

Seeking your insights and recommendations

Larter Consulting has been engaged to undertake a consultation to identify experiences and perceptions of the patient recovery journey during the 6-12 weeks post an acute pain event.

We want to hear from:

  • Consumers and patients (for example, after surgery, injury, back pain)
  • GPs and nurses
  • Pain clinicians including multidisciplinary pain recovery services.

We invite you to share your insights (what works, what is not working) and recommendations for improvement to inform next steps for EMPHN.

You can:

Contact Jo Grzelinska on jo@larter.com.au or call /SMS 0418 595 781 to arrange a time convenient for you.

Timelines: The consultation is open 1 February – 18 March 2021.

Project contacts

EMPHN lead

Susan Rice, Lead Sector Capacity & After Hours, 0419 475 855, susan.rice@emphn.org.au

Lead consultant

Jo Grzelinska, Principal Consultant, 0418 595 781, jo@larter.com.au 

     

This initiative is funded by the Australian Government under the PHN program.

Secondary prevention of chronic pain. Rapid review and mapping of options for Primary Health Networks. The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre (Sax Institute), October 2019. https://www.emphn.org.au/images/uploads/files/1-Oct-2019-Review-and-mapping-of-options-secondary-prevention-of-chronic-pain.pdf

Improving Chronic Pain Services Through Consumer Insights

People living with pain can provide valuable information about how easily services can be accessed, where referral pathways work well and where gaps remain. Combining these experiences with feedback from GPs, nurses, pain clinicians and other healthcare professionals gives healthcare organisations a broader view of the recovery journey. For Larter, this type of stakeholder and consumer engagement can help translate local evidence into practical recommendations for improving chronic pain services and strengthening primary care responses.

Conclusion

Secondary prevention of chronic pain requires early intervention, accessible services, and well-connected care pathways. Understanding the experiences of people living with pain alongside the perspectives of healthcare professionals can help identify service gaps and opportunities for improvement.

Larter’s work demonstrates how consumer insights, service mapping, and stakeholder engagement can inform health service planning and support more effective primary care responses to chronic pain.

Frequently Asked Questions

Secondary prevention focuses on identifying and addressing persistent pain early to reduce the risk of long-term disability and support better recovery outcomes.

Early intervention can help people access appropriate support sooner, potentially reducing barriers to recovery and preventing pain from becoming more difficult to manage.

Healthcare services can improve recovery by strengthening referral pathways, coordinating multidisciplinary care, identifying service gaps, and making appropriate support easier to access.

People living with chronic pain can provide valuable insights into barriers, service experiences, and unmet needs that may not be identified through service data alone.

GPs, nurses, allied health professionals, and pain specialists can help identify persistent pain early, provide appropriate support, and connect patients with relevant services.