“CARING in Action”: A Knowledge Mobilization Project on Co-Creating Evidence-Based Communication Training in Chronic Pain Care for Healthcare Professionals

Background Pain is a complex and multifactorial experience shaped by biopsychosocial and contextual factors. Communication gaps between healthcare professionals and people living with pain persist as a major barrier to effective and patient-centered care. Supporting the education of healthcare professionals is essential to improving patient satisfaction and the overall experience of care for both healthcare professionals and people living with pain.Aims To address this gap in pain care communication, this paper aims to describe the CARING in Action project, a patient-oriented approach to co-developing resource materials and a dissemination strategy to enhance knowledge mobilization and implementation.Methods This project employed a participatory co-creation design informed by Canada’s Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research. Patient partners contributed across all stages, from idea conceptualization, to planning and dissemination. We identified communication gaps, adapted evidence to context, and held iterative virtual and in-person workshops with people with lived experience, healthcare professionals, researchers, and trainees. Prototype materials were refined through three cycles of iteration, resulting in an evidence-informed, educational tool shaped by diverse interest holder perspectives and strengthened by a process prioritizing consensus-building, inclusivity, and validation.Results The final eight-module is a self-directed online educational resource for licensed and trainee healthcare professionals, to strengthen effective communications with people living with pain.Discussion This initiative generated concrete knowledge products that support culturally attuned communication and relational approaches to pain management. Together, these outputs provide practical resources for healthcare professionals and trainees across pre-licensure and post-licensure education, supporting the implementation of patient-centered communication practices in pain care.