From (Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care) policy to implementation: A retrospective look at a community-based patient-centered model of care for chronic pain.

Abstract

Background: Chronic pain is one of the most widely recognized, disabling, and expensive health problems in Canada. Interdisciplinary multimodal pain management is effective in helping chronic pain patients lessen symptoms and reclaim functionality, but most patients lack access to such treatments. Aim: The aim of this study was to describe the development and implementation of a publicly funded and patient-centered model of care in the community. Methods: The study was set in the Pain & Wellness Centre (PWC) in Vaughan, the only community-based chronic pain clinic in Ontario funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) as a demonstration project of a template for similar future community clinics. The study is descriptive, including a brief review of the Ontario comprehensive pain strategy framework and an overview of the PWC and the process involved in the development of an interdisciplinary pain program (IDP), based on the biopsychosocial model of chronic pain management. Results: During a 2.5-year period, the PWC has offered 1055 new patient medical consultations and 1921 follow-up visits and admitted 242 patients in the IDP program (demonstrating significant success in patient outcomes at the 3-month exit from the program). It established robust outcomes research, organized educational programs for pain trainees, and cultivated a collaborative relationship with the Toronto Academic Pain Medicine (TAPMI) network and the community at large. Conclusions: This demonstration program has shown the feasibility and applicability of the principles of the MOHLTC comprehensive pain strategy, providing an effective, evidence-based, and accountable approach to chronic pain diagnosis and management in the community.

• Authors: Angela Mailis, S Fatima Lakha
• Journal: Canadian journal of pain = Revue canadienne de la douleur (Can J Pain) Vol. 3 Issue 1 Pg. 114-125 ( 2019) ISSN: 2474-0527 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 35005400 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: © 2019 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.