We call on the European Commission to:

• Support national governments in the coordination and sharing of best practice (e.g. patient and healthcare education programmes) and further expand on the existing DG SANTE’s Best Practice Portal to foster information exchange and cross-fertilisation among European health systems on the societal impact of pain, with all relevant stakeholders.
• Support awareness raising activities and information campaigns aimed at educating the wider stakeholder environment to address the societal impact of pain on a holistic level.
• Take into account in its work on health workforce planning (such as the Joint Action on Health Workforce Planning and Forecasting), whether Member States have access to the necessary education and training resources to establish the integrated models of care, and interdisciplinary teams required for the treatment of conditions such as chronic pain.

We call on Member States to:

• Initiate patient education programmes and information campaigns in order to create public awareness of the short and long-term consequences of inadequate access to pain treatment for pain symptoms.
• Promote wider access to pain education within healthcare professions, especially to all those involved with assessing and treating pain.

For further information about SIP long-term priorities visit the Joint Statement page here!