The UPPScAle project objectives focused on harmonising pain science education in Physiotherapy programmes across Europe by offering a roadmap for academics UPPScAle had three main objectives: Objective 1: Curriculum benchmarking of Bachelor Physiotherapy pain science curricula against international best practice (European Pain Federation EFIC Pain Physiotherapy curriculum) to identify gaps in learning; Objective 2: Augmenting knowledge and skills through evidence-based professional practices Objective 3: Enhancing and standardising teaching and learning by developing an Open Education Resource that addresses identified limitations to support academics with student learning across Europe and beyond.
The UPPScAle strategic partnership is a transnational collaboration aiming to innovate, improve and standardise Bachelor Physiotherapy pain science curricula across Europe. Pain science is a core field in a physiotherapy curriculum and physiotherapists are essential members of healthcare teams managing people with pain. Chronic pain affects millions of people worldwide across the lifespan and is a global cause of disability in the developed and developing world. Pain management is the primary reason people attend physiotherapy for treatment. However, there is currently no standardised curriculum or common training framework for physiotherapists, with professional education about pain management repeatedly documented as inadequate worldwide. Hence the inequities in pain science knowledge across Europe results in inequitable health service delivery and costs and most importantly to significant differences in patients quality of life. Greater connectivity between higher education systems with standardised curricula will also reduce obstacles that face physiotherapists applying to practise their profession across geographical borders in EU member states.