The Department of Pain Medicine at First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University was established in 1989, pioneering the introduction of pain clinics and inpatient wards in China under the leadership of the Department of Anesthesiology. In March 2012, the medical education and research of the pain department began to operate independently, and in April 2024, the hospital officially issued a document to set up an independent "pain department". Over the past 35 years, with the relentless dedication of four generations of medical and nursing professionals, the department has evolved into one of the first “Pilot Units for Comprehensive Pain Management” approved by the National Health Commission, a designated training base for the “Pain Disease Diagnosis and Treatment Capability Enhancement Project (Chongqing)” under the National Health Commission’s Capacity Building and Continuing Education Center, a sentinel hospital for the National Pain Medical Quality Control Center, and one of the first “Cancer Pain Standardized Treatment Demonstration Wards” by the Ministry of Health. The department has also been recognized as the “Pain Treatment Center” and “Civilized Post” by the Chongqing Municipal Health Commission, the “Pain Specialist Nurse Training Base”, and the chairing unit of the “Chongqing Pain Specialist Alliance”. National Pain Diagnosis and Treatment Research Center, "Sakura Pain Ultrasound Academy Ultrasound AI Empowerment Project Regional Leading Unit", "China Neuromodulation Alliance Western Center" Director Unit. It has been awarded standing committee unit of both the Chinese Medical Association Pain Branch and the China Physician Association Pain Medicine Branch, and is also the primary committee unit of the Chongqing Medical Association Pain Medicine Branch. In 2022, the department has consistently demonstrated excellence in reputation rankings, achieving 12th place nationwide in the 2022 inaugural “Fudan” Pain Medicine Specialty Reputation Ranking, 2023 National Nomination 11th and 2nd place in Southwest China for pain medicine reputation.
With 25 inpatient beds and 23 dedicated medical personnel (including re-employed specialists), the department boasts a robust team of experts, comprising 3 senior consultants, 2 associate senior consultants, 3 master supervisors, 3 PhD holders, and 6 master degree holders. The department is equipped with state-of-the-art pain diagnosis and treatment technologies, including radiofrequency ablation devices, ozone therapy equipment, cryoplasma surgery systems, spinal endoscopic surgery systems, ultrasound imaging machines, and quantitative temperature sensation testers. The department has established a tiered, standardized, and integrated pain treatment system for complex and critical pain conditions, such as neuropathic pain, chronic musculoskeletal pain, and cancer pain. The core treatment approach revolves around nerve blocks and minimally invasive techniques, with leading expertise in Patient-controlled Analgesia (PCA), ultrasound-guided nerve block/damage, radiofrequency techniques, cryoplasma-assisted procedures, trigeminal ganglion microballoon compression, spinal cord stimulation implantation for neuromodulation, and intrathecal drug delivery systems implantation for pain management. The department handles approximately 23,000 outpatient visits and 1,000 inpatient cases annually, with over 80% of the cases being complex and critical, earning it a leading position in medical quality rankings within the hospital.Professors YANG Xiaoqiu and LI Xiuying were honored as the “Most Beautiful Female Doctors” by the China Female Physicians Association’s Pain Branch. Professor YANG Xiaoqiu has also received the prestigious “National Renowned Doctor—Outstanding Achievement” award, a National Health and Technology Promotion and Application Project Inheritor, and the “Learning from QIAN De Excellent Doctor” titles at the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University. A number of nurses have been awarded the “‘Five Hearts’ Outstanding Nursing Star” by First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University.
Since 2000, the department has undertaken multi-tiered teaching responsibilities, including courses such as Pain Diagnosis and Treatment, Standardized Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention of Pain Diseases, and Pain Nursing. It provides clinical training for medical interns, resident physicians, international students, general practitioners, and clinical pharmacists. To date, the department has trained over 5,000 medical students and supervised more than 10 postgraduate students specializing in pain medicine. The department has been recognized for its outstanding contributions to medical education, earning multiple awards such as the First, Second, and Third Prizes in “In-School Teaching” and “Graduation Internship Teaching” competitions at the First Clinical College, the Second Prize in Chongqing Medical University’s Teaching Achievements Award. Several faculty members have received “Outstanding Teacher”, “Teaching Excellence Award”, and “Most Popular Teacher” honors. A number of Young physicians have won national and provincial-level first, second, and third prizes in youth physician speech competitions. The department has successfully hosted more than 30 pain medicine training courses and academic conferences, training over 10,000 medical professionals, solidifying its status as a leading pain medicine training hub in Chongqing and Western China.
The department has published nearly 100 academic papers. Professor Yang Xiaoqiu was awarded "Top 1% of Highly Cited Scholars in CNKI 2024" and authored 11 monographs. It has led over 10 national and regional research projects, contributed to more than 20 national pain medicine guidelines and textbooks, including the Chinese Expert Consensus (Guidelines) on Pain Disease Diagnosis and Treatment, Chinese Pain Disease Diagnosis and Treatment Standards, and Core Pain Management Technology Training Manual for Pain Medicine. The department is involved in numerous national multi-center clinical research projects and obtains 8 national patents. It has also received a Science and Technology Achievement Award from the Chongqing Municipal Health Bureau. With these accomplishments, the department has firmly established itself as one of the most influential pain medicine centers in Western China. From 2015 to 2024, the Chongqing Municipal Health Commission's health appropriate technology promotion project "Standardized diagnosis, treatment and prevention of pain diseases" has won the excellent promotion project for four consecutive times.
For over 30 years, the department has actively engaged in public education and awareness campaigns for pain management. Key initiatives include frequent invitations to deliver specialized lectures on CCTV-2 and CQTV-2, and other health-focused TV programs, publication and nationwide distribution of multiple editions of pain medicine brochures, a grassroots outreach program spanning more than 20 years, promoting pain management technologies across over 30 districts and counties in Chongqing, providing mentorship, technical guidance and talent cultivation to local hospitals, significantly advancing the development of pain medicine across the region as well as active participation in the Health China 10,000-Mile Campaign led by the China Female Physicians Association, reaching Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Chongqing, Tibet, and Hubei. Through these efforts, the department has earned widespread recognition and praise from both healthcare professionals and patients across Central and Western China.