New Special Interest Group Announcement: Abdominal and Pelvic Pain: SIG

Our primary goal is to improve the quality and equity of care for New Zealand adults of all genders in living with abdomino-pelvic pain.

Chronic abdominopelvic pain negatively affects millions of people across the gender identity spectrum throughout the world. Abdomino-pelvic can impact a person’s physical, emotional, social and material well-being. Often, conventional medical and surgical treatments are ineffective; however, taking a whole person sociopsychobiomedical interdisciplinary approach that considers the multiple contributors to pain and targets these within the treatment approach has the best evidence base.

The New Zealand Pain Society Abdominal and Pelvic Pain SIG activities and focus

▪ Promote an evidence-based interdisciplinary approach to abdomino-pelvic pain in which the lived experience of pain, associated distress and disability is the central focus – independent of the biomedical diagnoses.
▪ Improve co-ordination and collaboration of abdominopelvic pain services across Aotearoa, New Zealand through: education, advocacy, strategy, and planning; and the development of a clinician network
▪ Promote the development of health policies and funding likely to enhance abdomino-pelvic pain assessment and management in adults.
▪ Maintain collaboration with other organisations and relevant SIGs with similar goals.
▪ Provide a forum for members practicing in the management of abdominopelvic pain to engage in discussion and collaboration
▪ To raise public awareness through education, outreach and engagement.
▪ Serve as an expert advisory and educational resource for health care professionals, relevant committees and patients
▪ Promote research and the dissemination of research findings in abdomino-pelvic pain (acute pain, post surgical/iatrogenic pain, and persistent/chronic pain).
▪ Provide the society with advice on current issues in the field of abdomino-pelvic pain and expert input for media statements and responses
▪ Provide nominations for representatives to external committees as requested by Council
▪ Promote the Society as appropriate and the recruitment of new members for the Society

Membership

Any registered health professional interested in abdomino-pelvic pain management or research, who is also a New Zealand Pain Society member, may join the SIG by emailing the SIG Chair.
The Society secretariat will notify the Chair of all new members who indicate an interest in the APP SIG. The Chair will email that member, inviting them to join the SIG.

Meeting

Meetings may be by teleconference, email or face-to face according to the agreements of the members. It is expected that the SIG will hold at least one face-to-face meeting per year. The first SIG meeting is planned on 18th May 2021.