Introduction

The CAPHC Pain CoP works to improve health outcomes for infants and children by reducing pain experienced during medical procedures, healthcare interventions, and both acute and chronic conditions, disease or disability. 

About Us

The CAPHC Pain Community of Practice (CoP) represents a group of professionals, informally bound to one another through exposure to a common class of challenges and common pursuit of solutions. We have a focus on nurturing new knowledge, stimulating innovation, sharing knowledge and quality improvement. CoP outputs have included leading practices, guidelines, knowledge repositories, technical problem and solution discussions, working papers, and strategies.   The Pain CoP has chosen acute presenting pain as an area of focus. Results of a consultations with CoP members, coupled with review of currently available research has resulted in 3 key acute presenting pain management toolkits.  

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the following individuals for their leadership and expertise in the development of the Tool Kits:

Paediatric Pain Community of Practice(CoP) Co-Chairs:

Dr. Samina Ali MDCM, FRCPC(PEM), Professor, Pediatrics & Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta

Ashleigh Townley  BSc., MA.Knowledge Broker, Evidence to Care Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, Ontario  

Tool Kit Leads

Kathy Reid RN,MN,NP Nurse Practitioner Pediatric Chronic Pain Services, Stollery Children’s Hospital Edmonton, Alberta

Sandy Smeenk Co-Founder & Executive Director, The ILC Chronic Pain and Ehlers Danlos Charitable Foundation 

Toolkit Reviewers

Isabel Jordan Board Chair, Rare Disease Foundation
Bruce Dick PhD, R.Psych(AB). Department of Anaesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Alberta.
Lori Palozzi MScN, NP-Paediatrics, Persistent Pain Service, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital

Evidence Summary

As outlined by the American Pain Society ¹, “chronic pain (defined as persistent and recurrent pain) is a significant problem in the pediatric population, conservatively estimated to affect 20% to 35% of children and adolescents around the world. The most common chronic pain conditions are musculoskeletal pain, headaches, and abdominal pain. Infants, children and adolescents may experience physical and psychological sequelae and their families may experience emotional and social consequences as a result of pain and associated disability. Childhood pain brings significant direct and indirect costs from healthcare utilization and lost wages due to taking time off work to care for the child. In addition, longitudinal studies provide convincing evidence to suggest that childhood chronic pain predisposes both for the continuation of pain and the development of new forms of chronic pain in adulthood.”

1. American Pain Society. (2012). Assessment and Management of Children with Chronic Pain: A Position Statement from the American Pain Society. Retrieved from: http://americanpainsociety.org/uploads/get-involved/pediatric-chronic-pain-statement.pdf

Recommendations and Toolkits

Topic	Tools, Education. References
Chronic Pain Toolkit
Paediatric Chronic Pain Clinics
Condition Specific Resources