Pain Medicine Fellowship @ largest pain hospital

Clinical exposure will be at Daradia: The Pain Clinic. Phoenix Hospital & Medica Superspeciality Hospital. Exposure to clinical evaluation & diagnosis will be there to plan management. The will also be most types of basic and advanced interventions. interventions 

Some patients will need admission and fellows will be exposed managing inpatients also. Acute pain and postoperative pain will also be covered.

There will be didactic lectures to covers basic and advanced pain procedures, Anatomy, pathophysiology & management of different painful conditions.

Fellows will be exposed to research & publications. They will design study, familiar with statistical analysis and will be writing manuscripts. 

After few months, fellows will be teaching juniors, taking lectures, become an instructor at workshop.

Fellows will be maintaining log book, completing a research project and will publish few case reports during their tenure. All will be evaluated along with final written & practical examination. 

This pain medicine fellowship is a  period of specialised postgraduate training for clinicians which will enable them to properly asses & manage patients with different types chronic pain and to understand the sciences of practice of pain management.  

I. Residential program:

Here candidate stays for one year with a leave of 20 days in a year.

One year pain medicine fellowship: One doctor will be taken through Indian Academy of Pain Medicine.  There will be entrance exam and selection will be by IAPM by merit cum choice basis. 

Another doctor will be taken through Aesculap Academy. There will be online exam and candidates must appear for interview.

II. 3 contact program:

Here candidate stays for 6 weeks in 2/3 occasions and complete study at home, sees patients at his own clinic/hospital. They practice what is learnt at contact time, maintain logbook and appear for final exam.

Indian candidates for 3 contact program need to attend 3 times. International candidates can spend 6 weeks in 2 or 3 visits. Reading materials will be provided and need to be completed at home. 

Accommodation is available at hostel with applicable charges.

In pain fellowship curriculum, clinical diagnosis has been stressed. 

Topics to be completed in first 6 months:

I. Clinical Methods in Pain Medicine

1. History and clinical examination
2. Assessment of pain
3. Examination of patients of low back pain
4. Examination of patients of knee pain
5. Examination of patients of shoulder pain
6. Examination of patients of headache & neck pain
7. Examination of patients of generalised pain
8. Examination of patients of cancer pain

II. Non pharmacological management of pain

1. Physical therapies and rehabilitation 
2. Vocational assessment and management

III. Psychological evaluation and therapy

1. Use of diagnostic tests
2. Collection & evaluation of data from interview and standard forms
3. Comprehensive psychological assessment
4. Treatment options
5. Individual, group and family psychotherapy
6. Cognitive-behavioural therapies
7. Biofeedback and relaxation techniques
8. Hypnotherapy

IV Pharmacotherapy

1. Local anaesthetics
2. Opioids
3. Analgesics
4. Non-narcotic
5. Adjuvants
6. Antidepressants
7. Sedative-hypnotics
8. Benzodiazepines
9. Other drugs and various routes of administration

V. Interventional procedures

1. Interventions of lumbosacral region
2. Peripheral joint and soft tissue injections

VI. Regional pain syndrome

1. Low back pain
2. Extremity pain syndromes

Topics to be covered in 2nd 6 months

I. Specific types of painful conditions

1. Post-operative pain
2. Post trauma pain
3. Cancer Pain, including issues of death and dying, palliative care and hospice
4. Pain associated with nervous system injuries – CRPS
5. Pain associated with chronic disease
6. Pain of unknown aetiology
7. Pain in children
8. Pain in elderly

Regional pain syndromes

1. Headache
2. Facial pain syndrome
3. Neck and upper back pain
4. Thoracic and abdominal pain
5. Pelvic and perineal pain

Interventional Pain Management

1. Interventions & nerve blocks in head and neck
2. Interventions & nerve blocks in cervical and thoracic region
3. Advanced pain therapies – Intradiscal procedures, epiduroscopy, spinal cord stimulators, intrathecal implants etc.

General instructions for both programs:

1. Log book is mandatory, to be submitted before final exam.
2. One research article manuscript must be submitted before exam.
3. There should be a record of OP/IP consultation participation
4. There should be details of participation in academic programme like seminars, symposia, clinical meetings.
5. There should be record of bed side demonstrations
6. Teaching others and taking classes should be documented
7. Any special duty or event managed should be documented
8. There should be details of procedure observed, assisted and performed. The candidate must have performed at least 50 interventions during his academic year.
9. The log book is to be filled regularly by the candidate
10. The entries need to be endorsed by the concerned consultant
11. On the completion of the course by the candidate, this log book shall be deposited in the department for future reference

3 contact program starts with a regular 2 weeks course where basics are covered. At the middle of the year (dates are fixed mutually) participant should come and stay for another 2 weeks to cover intermediate level procedures and clinical exposure at OPD and live procedures. At the end participant should come for weeks to cover advanced and head/neck procedures and appear for final examination. 

150,000 INR plus GST for Indians for 3 contact program

7800 USD plus GST for International participants for either program

Course fees need to be paid one time before 1st contact program. Course fee do not include accommodation & food.

Final exam will be conducted at the end of one year. Aesculap Academy certificate will be provided on successful completion.

This one year fellowship is affiliated with Aesculap Academy.