PURPOSE: Little or no information exists on the services that are currently available for the treatment of chronic pain across the different regions of Canada. As a first step, this study documented the hospital-based resources and services offered for the management of chronic non-cancer pain within anesthesia departments in Québec. METHODS: In collaboration with the Association of Anesthesiologists of Québec and the Société québécoise de la douleur, a provincial survey was conducted to assess the availability of services for chronic pain management within hospital-based anesthesia departments along with the volume of clinical activities, staff composition, treatments offered and space facilities. RESULTS: The response rate was 100%. Fifty of the 69 departments (73%) offered services for the management of chronic non-cancer pain but the services were often limited. Twenty-six percent (13/50) of the departments provided some form of multidisciplinary assessment and treatment but only three had a core team comprised of an anesthesiologist, a nurse, a psychologist, and a physical therapist. Examination of patient waiting lists of the surveyed departments revealed disturbing results: approximately 4,500 patients were waiting for their first appointment to see a pain consultant, and nearly 3,000 (67%) had been waiting for nine months or more. CONCLUSION: Although this survey did not include the services offered in departments other than anesthesia, the results show the extent to which the province of Québec is under-resourced for the management of chronic pain patients both in terms of access to treatment and quality of the services offered.
PURPOSE: Little or no information exists on the services that are currently available for the treatment of chronic pain across the different regions of Canada. As a first step, this study documented the hospital-based resources and services offered for the management of chronic non-cancer pain within anesthesia departments in Québec. METHODS: In collaboration with the Association of Anesthesiologists of Québec and the Société québécoise de la douleur, a provincial survey was conducted to assess the availability of services for chronic pain management within hospital-based anesthesia departments along with the volume of clinical activities, staff composition, treatments offered and space facilities. RESULTS: The response rate was 100%. Fifty of the 69 departments (73%) offered services for the management of chronic non-cancer pain but the services were often limited. Twenty-six percent (13/50) of the departments provided some form of multidisciplinary assessment and treatment but only three had a core team comprised of an anesthesiologist, a nurse, a psychologist, and a physical therapist. Examination of patient waiting lists of the surveyed departments revealed disturbing results: approximately 4,500 patients were waiting for their first appointment to see a pain consultant, and nearly 3,000 (67%) had been waiting for nine months or more. CONCLUSION: Although this survey did not include the services offered in departments other than anesthesia, the results show the extent to which the province of Québec is under-resourced for the management of chronic painpatients both in terms of access to treatment and quality of the services offered.
Authors: Philip Peng; Jennifer N Stinson; Manon Choiniere; Dominique Dion; Howard Intrater; Sandra LeFort; Mary Lynch; May Ong; Saifee Rashiq; Gregg Tkachuk; Yves Veillette Journal: Pain Res Manag Date: 2008 Nov-Dec Impact factor: 3.037
Authors: M Choinière; M A Ware; M G Pagé; A Lacasse; H Lanctôt; N Beaudet; A Boulanger; P Bourgault; C Cloutier; L Coupal; Y De Koninck; D Dion; P Dolbec; L Germain; V Martin; P Sarret; Y Shir; M-C Taillefer; B Tousignant; A Trépanier; R Truchon Journal: Pain Res Manag Date: 2017-02-09 Impact factor: 3.037
Authors: Samantha R Fashler; Lynn K Cooper; Eric D Oosenbrug; Lindsay C Burns; Shima Razavi; Lauren Goldberg; Joel Katz Journal: Pain Res Manag Date: 2016-03-29 Impact factor: 3.037