Knowledge, attitudes and practices of pain management among Taiwanese physicians in a reformed 2-year postgraduate training programme: a cross-sectional questionnaire survey

Ann Med. 2025 Dec;57(1):2466671. doi: 10.1080/07853890.2025.2466671. Epub 2025 Feb 22.

Abstract

Background: Taiwan implemented a reformed 6-year medical education in 2013, with a subsequent 2-year postgraduate training programme starting in August 2019. This study investigated the perceptions of acute and chronic pain management in postgraduate physicians.

Methods: In late July 2023, a cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted of Taiwanese physicians who had almost completed their postgraduate 2-year or 1-year training and those who were starting a postgraduate programme in early August 2023. This survey evaluated their knowledge, attitude and clinical experience related to opioid-based pain management and their perceptions of the opioid crisis in the United States and Taiwan.

Results: Of the 197 postgraduate physicians, 169 (85.8%) responded to the survey. Physicians who had received postgraduate 2-year (n = 48) and 1-year (n = 51) training had a deeper understanding of opioids (p < 0.001) and exhibited greater confidence in acute and chronic pain management (both p < 0.001) compared with those who were just starting a postgraduate programme (n = 70). Of the included physicians, 92 (54.4%) were aware of the ongoing opioid crisis in the United States, but only 28 (16.6%) disagreed with the notion of a current opioid problem in Taiwan. Approximately 27.8% had never heard of multimodal analgesia, and 86.4% expressed a need for further pain management education.

Conclusions: The postgraduate training programme in Taiwan provides enhanced knowledge of opioids and improves physicians' levels of confidence in acute and chronic pain management. However, only one-sixth of postgraduate physicians are aware that Taiwan does not have an opioid problem.

Keywords: Attitude; knowledge; opioid; pain management; postgraduate.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Analgesics, Opioid / adverse effects
  • Analgesics, Opioid / therapeutic use
  • Attitude of Health Personnel
  • Chronic Pain / drug therapy
  • Clinical Competence
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Education, Medical, Graduate*
  • Female
  • Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Opioid Epidemic / prevention & control
  • Pain Management* / methods
  • Physicians* / psychology
  • Physicians* / statistics & numerical data
  • Practice Patterns, Physicians' / statistics & numerical data
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Taiwan

Substances

  • Analgesics, Opioid

Grants and funding

This work was supported by Tri-Service General Hospital (TSGH-D-112175).