A Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating a Pain Training for Respite Workers Supporting Children With Disabilities Part Two: Training Evaluations and the Impact of Training on Knowledge Application.
Pain training without feedback leaves respite workers' pain-care reports unchanged.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers tested a pain-training class for respite workers who care for children with disabilities. Half the workers got the pain class. The other half got a general health class. Both groups filled out surveys before and after.
The study used a coin-flip method to pick who got which class. Workers answered questions about how they would help a child in pain.
What they found
Both groups scored the same on the surveys. The pain class did not change how workers said they would treat pain.
Workers liked the class and said they learned new facts. But their answers on the test looked no different from the control group.
How this fits with other research
Yaw et al. (2014) got big gains when they added feedback to staff training. Romani et al. (2023) also saw better notes when feedback followed the lesson. The current study gave only the class, no feedback. That may explain why scores stayed flat.
RFerguson et al. (2025) showed that three rounds of feedback lifted dental students to mastery. Again, the pain class here had no feedback loop, matching its null result.
Higgins et al. (1992) found that extra assessment training added nothing to basic staff training. Like the present trial, piling on more content without feedback did not help.
Why it matters
If you run staff training, do not stop at a lecture or slide deck. Build in brief, specific feedback on real tasks—like having a supervisor watch a worker measure pain cues and praise correct steps. That small add turns classes into real skill gains, as shown across IDD and hospital studies.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Within a parallel-group randomized control trial, pain training's impact on Respite Workers' (RW) care approaches and training evaluations was explored. RW (n = 158) from 14 organizations received pain or control training following randomization. Researchers were blind until randomization; allocations were not shared explicitly with organizations/participants. Participants completed a strategy use questionnaire immediately before and an evaluation immediately after training completion. Four-to-6 weeks later, participants completed the strategy use questionnaire and semistructured focus groups. No differences in pain approaches were noted in strategy use questionnaires. Per focus groups, both groups acquired a "knowing" about pain and applied pain-related care approaches in similarly. Pain training participants identified need for "growing and strengthening" pain knowledge. Training endorsements were favorable. RW pain training has value and may impact practice.
American journal on intellectual and developmental disabilities, 2021 · doi:10.1352/1944-7558-126.4.289