Canadian Pain Care Forum - October 2024 & February 2025

CANADIAN PAIN CARE FORUMOCTOBER 2024 AND FEBRUARY 2025

The October 2024 Canadian Pain Care Forum saw presentations from SaskPain and Dr. Jason Busse. Karen Jukes, of SaskPain discussed "Ricky's Invisible Pain" project, a children's book and curriculum package addressing pediatric chronic pain in Saskatchewan. The project is led by Karen and Ross McCreary and is codesigned by a diverse working group. The curriculum will include lesson plans and activities aligned with provincial curriculum, emphasizing inclusivity and addressing complex pain. Following the presentation, Dr. Jason Busse discussed the upcoming release of the revised Opioid Guideline for Non-Cancer Chronic Pain. The aim of these recommendations is to provide evidence-based guidance for healthcare providers, patients, caregivers and policymakers. The Guideline was funded through Health Canada's Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP) and will be published this spring.

Max Slepian, a psychologist at Toronto General, kicked off our February 2025 meeting. Slepian discussed strategies to increase access to psychological interventions for pain, highlighting the gap between demand and supply. He emphasized the need for digital interventions, collaborative care models and increased training in pain management. Andrea Darzi wrapped up the session by introducing the e-Chronic Pain Recommendation Map - a new digital platform to synthesize and compare guidelines for chronic pain, addressing issues such as inconsistency and trustworthiness. The platform aims to provide clear, evidence-based decision support, enhance shared decisionmaking and align practices with national standards. It will include features like plain language summaries, decision aids, and multilingual access. User testing and quality improvement are ongoing, with plans for translation and expansion in future years.