Similar issues exist for the broader health workforce, as outlined in the National Pain selleck Strategy (Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists 2010). We need to better prepare the emerging workforce to manage

the predicted substantial increase in this global area of need over the next 30 years (March and Woolf, 2010, Woolf et al 2010). These epidemiologic data are consistent with Australian projections for chronic health conditions generally and chronic pain specifically (KPMG, 2009). While we agree that there is need to provide consistent evidence-based and interdisciplinary education in preregistration physiotherapy programs in Australia, it is also imperative to optimise the evidence-informed practical

skills and knowledge of clinicians currently in the workforce and who are likely to remain working for some time. These clinicians are likely to play an important role in shaping the beliefs and practice behaviours of the emerging workforce. Initiating a shift in beliefs and practice behaviours in any area is challenging and can only be sustained when supported by parallel changes in systems and policy. Reform strategies, therefore, need to be developed and implemented in a multi-stakeholder partnership framework, such as a network or community of practice model, in order to be effective and sustainable (Ranmuthugala et al 2011). In this regard, there Bosutinib concentration are many opportunities for collaboration among researchers, clinicians, consumers, and other stakeholders such as universities, health departments, rural health services, and policy makers to drive much-needed reform in this area. While Jones and

Hush (2011) review important curriculum reform in Canada and the US, we feel it is timely to highlight some of the initiatives currently being undertaken in Western also Australia (WA) to help close this gap and improve service delivery to consumers who live the experience of pain. The key platform that has enabled implementation of these initiatives is the WA Health Networks, integrated into the Department of Health, WA. The aim of the of the WA Health Networks is to involve all stakeholders who share a common interest in health to interact and share information to collaboratively plan and facilitate implementation of consumer-centred health services through development of evidence-informed policy and programs. The Spinal Pain Working Group, as part of the Musculoskeletal Health Network, has been proactive in developing, implementing, and evaluating a number of projects to address state policy for service delivery in the context of spinal pain (Spinal Pain Model of Care 2009).