Por Redaccion Health Minister Alejandro Vázquez Ramos visited the Active Coping Unit for Chronic Pain in Ávila, established in Primary Care, with the aim of providing an interdisciplinary approach to patients with chronic pain from a biopsychosocial perspective. The focus is on treating pain not as an isolated symptom, but rather as a complex issue that considers its impact on a sensory, cognitive, emotional, and social level.
April 25, 2025
Castilla y León |
Health Department
Currently, this Unit covers urban health centers in Ávila (Ávila Estación, Ávila Sur Oeste, Ávila Sur Este, and Ávila Norte), starting on April 11 at Ávila Rural Health Center, providing coverage for 44% of Ávila’s health area.
The goal is to expand to more rural areas, train professionals in health centers, and raise awareness about this new approach to treating chronic pain. According to the Health Observatory, the overall prevalence of chronic pain is 25.6%.
The Unit is located in the Provincial Hospital of Ávila and includes a consultation room and a multipurpose space where programs on Pain Neuroscience Education and Therapeutic Exercise are conducted. It operates as an interdisciplinary unit with physiotherapists, family doctors, nurses, and mental health professionals, closely coordinating with health center staff.
Treatment programs are structured based on the patient’s physical, emotional, cognitive, and social functionality levels. Currently, levels I and II are being addressed in Ávila, with plans to expand to level III throughout the year.
So far, 136 patients have been referred, 300 face-to-face consultations have been conducted, and work has begun in four groups based on functional levels. By the end of the year, more groups will be formed, benefiting around 200 patients in total.
In addition to group activities, individual consultations and treatments are available for patients whose conditions do not require group therapy.
Sacyl’s Primary Care services offer the Non-Oncological Chronic Pain Care Service to the population. Primary Care professionals (doctors, nurses, and physiotherapists) address the needs of these patients and, if adequate pain control is not achieved, they can be referred to these new Active Coping Units established by the Health Department, either from health centers or hospital-based pain units.
The operation is integrated into a biopsychosocial model, aiming to empower patients to understand their condition, improve functionality, and reverse their situation, making the patient an active part of their treatment.
The program includes interventions based on pain neuroscience education and active coping strategies through physical exercise, supported by scientific evidence.
It’s worth noting that this unit serves not only as a care facility but also as an educational center, training professionals from Ávila, other provinces, and autonomous communities.
Research efforts are essential for providing the best clinical prediction rules, evaluating and recording everything to enhance the interdisciplinary quality of life improvement for patients.
Lastly, community management in collaboration with other public entities ensures patients remain engaged in this new paradigm shift in chronic pain treatment.
Currently, the health areas of Castilla y León with this unit are Ávila, Valladolid Este and Oeste, Palencia, Burgos, León, and El Bierzo, with plans to launch in Salamanca later this year.
Training Unit
In addition to the Chronic Pain Unit, Health Minister also visited the Training Unit of the Healthcare Assistance Management (GAS) in Ávila, located at the Provincial Hospital, serving all Sacyl areas in the province. It provides continuous training for nearly 4,000 registered users in the Regional Health Management’s training platform through courses, conferences, workshops, or seminars.
For these activities, GAS Ávila has a new training area, the clinical simulation room, dedicated to complex activities requiring specific materials to enhance the quality and type of training. Residents from various specialties can also benefit from the opportunities that clinical simulation offers to professionals in training.