New national resource to support people living with chronic pain

A new, multi-stakeholder resource aims to significantly improve the systems of care and support for the nearly eight million people in Canada living with chronic pain. Pain Canada was created in response to the federal government’s 2021 Action Plan for Pain in Canada and is sponsored by Pain BC, the largest pain-specific charity in the world. The goal is to develop country-wide standards, promote equity, encourage relevant research and champion the rights of people living with pain, free of stigma and discrimination. “There really needed to be an over-arching platform where people could come together and move change in an integrated way,” says Maria Hudspith, executive director, Pain BC. Rather than focusing on just peer support, or clinical education or research or policy change, she says this is an opportunity to bring together diverse organizations and leaders of pain initiatives under one umbrella. “Health Canada is focusing on regulatory issues and policy change from the top down, but there is a huge role for all these different stakeholders in community-driven action and that’s what Pain Canada is meant to do.” Among these key stakeholders are pharmacists who Hudspith says can have a real influence in helping patients better manage their pain. “Not only do they educate people about medications and side-effects, but they often have that opportunity to convey really important other information about pain and to reduce the stigma and myths around chronic pain,” she says. Pain Canada board member Jaris Swidrovich, a pharmacist from Yellow Quill First Nation and assistant professor at the University of Toronto’s Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, says pharmacists’ accessibility and trusted healthcare status among patients makes them a key part in the pain management support network, especially for stigmatized populations. “We can make a big difference in the lives of people living with chronic pain,” he says. “We can also assist people living with pain because of [drug] coverage issues or quantity limitations.” Supported by numerous provincial and national partners, Pain Canada’s advisory board meets by-monthly but interacts even more regularly as members are working on specific pain-related initiatives. “We’re really trying to reach that visibility and awareness—and reduce the stigma to create that sense of belonging and connection among people living with chronic pain,” says Hudspith. “Once you start developing that network, those people can build support networks themselves.” Swidrovich says he’s optimist about the progress so far. “It’s been inspiring to see the relative speed at which pain has become a priority on the federal government level…it’s certainly very much on the minds of participating and supporting members of Pain Canada.” For further updates, follow Pain Canada Read: Limited evidence supports the role of cannabis in pain relief

New national resource to support people living with chronic pain

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