Minor Ailments: Pain

At a local level, there have been many minor ailment schemes developed in recent years. The services have been provided in a variety of healthcare settings, including pharmacist and nurse-led clinics in a GP practice. Such schemes encourage patients to consult these services to be treated for minor ailments rather than making an appointment to see a GP.

This course focuses on the management of pain associated with minor ailments. Pain is one of the most common symptoms that prompts a visit to a healthcare professional. Pain is not a disease or condition, but rather a symptom. Indeed, it is a very common symptom of various diseases, such as peptic ulcer, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD), inflammatory bowel disease, musculoskeletal disease, angina, infections and cancer. Pain need not always be a symptom of disease. A tension headache, for example, can be very painful, but may not be associated with any serious underlying pathology. Injury can also lead to pain, but this particular situation does not fall under our remit here.