Specialty pain medicine

There has been persistent growth in the professional pain management specialists, principally in paediatrics, neurology, rehabilitation medicine, as well as anaesthesia. The same growth has been seen in other healthcare professions. In this chapter of European Pain Management we focus on the rise of specialty pain medicine and its implications for education, governance, and professional identity. In many European countries, pain medicine is not an independent specialism, despite the growth in need and the technical and scientific knowledge required. Advances in education and training are also reviewed, and this chapter concludes with a discussion of how to advance the role of pain medicine, and the leadership needed within European countries and across Europe.