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Study Shows Chronic Pain Treatment in Canada Still Seriously Lacking |
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Written by Wire Services
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Wednesday, 14 June 2006 |
Canadians with chronic pain suffer in silence for a long time before they are able to access the specialized treatment required for this disease. This is the normal state of affairs according to poster study results to be presented at the Canadian Pain Society conference this week.
The STOP Pain project reviews the availability of, and patient access to, what are known as Multidisciplinary Pain Treatment Facilities (MPFTs) in Canada including how and what services they offer to those with this disease.
Results are startling. For a disease that affects more Canadians than diabetes or asthma, there is one MPFT for every 250,000 Canadians and the vast majority of these clinics are located in major centres.
Of the 101 MPTFs studied, less than one in two was publicly-funded. The median wait time to access this type of clinic is 10 times longer than a private clinic (32.5 weeks vs. 3 weeks) and can be as long as five years.
Chronic pain is difficult to diagnose and treat. MPTFs are considered to offer the best and most effective approach to diagnosis and treatment according to the International Association for the Study of Pain and the College of Physicians in Surgeons in Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick and Ontario.
Health care specialists at MPTFs understand the medical, psychological and sociological issues related to this disease and can help patients determine the best combination of treatments to reduce and even resolve their pain. The three most common pain conditions treated at MPTFs were low back pain, neck pain and neuropathic pain.
Initiated in 2004, the STOP Pain study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (via the CIHR/Rx&D Collaborative Research Program) in partnership with Pfizer Canada and the three networks of the Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec (Santé buccodentaire, Adaption-réadaption, Neurosciences et santé mentale). |
