How the EQUiPP project works

The EQUiPP Project is unfolding in four key stages—each designed to build on the previous one. Our goal is to work closely with local communities to design, deliver, and evaluate a meaningful education campaign about chronic pain.

 

Stage 1: Community Engagement

In 2024, we hit the road to gather local insights that will guide the next stage of the project. The EQUiPP team attended nine community events focused on chronic pain across the Limestone Coast and Western Victoria, as part of the Pain Revolution Rural Outreach Tour.

At each event, we connected with locals using town posters and custom stickers, inviting people to map both formal and informal support networks in their communities. This hands-on activity helped us understand how information is collected and shared across each town—giving us a clearer picture of how to reach a broad cross-section of the community going forward.

Stage 2: Co-Design

We’re now in Stage 2, where we bring community members together to co-design a local education campaign about chronic pain.

Starting June 2025, we’ll run a series of workshops building on what we learned during the engagement stage. We will run the workshops in person in Mount Gambier, Naracoorte, Millicent, Hamilton, Ararat, Stawell and Horsham. Together with participants, we’ll:

  • Explore how important pain messages should be communicated

  • Co-create ideas for how the campaign can best reach and resonate with each local community

Interested in joining the workshops? Click the button below to register your interest.

 

Stage 3: Educational campaign

The next stage will be implementing the campaign. This stage focuses on delivering a whole-of-community education campaign designed to:

  • Improve pain literacy among people living with chronic pain

  • Shift consumer expectations and community attitudes

  • Support better clinical outcomes through increased awareness and shared understanding

Stage 4: Evaluation

The final stage will assess how well the campaign worked. Our evaluation will measure the impact of the EQUiPP campaign on:

  • Healthcare decisions

  • Pain literacy

  • Community norms (attitudes and behaviours)

  • Clinical outcomes for people with chronic pain

We’ll also estimate the cost-benefit of the project and determine whether this multi-part approach improves outcomes—helping us answer the project’s key question: Can a community-wide campaign shift how pain is understood and managed?