CANADIAN PAIN COALITION

INTRODUCTION

Canadian Pain Coalition (CPC) is a consensus group dedicated to promoting awareness of pain, providing education about pain to professionals and the public as well as lobbying the government for pain research funds. Members include pain patients’ representatives from Injured Workers, FMS, Arthritis, CRPS/RSD, CPAC, pain management doctors, nurses and Canadian Pain Society members. The Charter of Pain Patient’s Rights and Responsibilities was created and refined by CPC members.

PARC is a member of the CPC. The CPC has requested that all members whose organizations they represent, take it to their membership for ratification. If you are Canadian and wish to support the Charter, you are also welcome to do so.

We all can support the CPC in their efforts to raise the awareness of pain as a disease, not a symptom. This is just the beginning.

CHARTER OF PAIN PATIENT’S RIGHTS
AND REPONSIBILITIES

The Charter emphasizes the following concerns about pain:

• pain is a disease, not a symptom
• consumers should advocate for a greater awareness of chronic pain
patients would benefit from better professional guidance to help them with information from various sources

family doctors and nurses could take on a more involved role in treating the whole individual with pain

patients have rights and responsibilities and can work together with healthcare professionals, taking active part in their own care

children and elderly or those who are cognitively impaired have the right to have their caregivers involved in their care

RIGHTS

Pain patients are entitled to:
1. have their reports of pain taken seriously
2. receive compassionate and sympathetic care
3. have treatment/care, follow-up and periodic reassessment
4. actively participate, or have their parents or caregivers participate, in their treatment plan development
5. timely access to best practice care
6. have adequate information in order to consent to their treatment
7. information and support, including access to health records

RESPONSIBILITIES

To the extent they are able, patients or their parents /caregivers are responsible:
1. to be knowledgeable about pain
2. to engage in open communication with their healthcare providers
3. to actively participate in their own care and in decisions about their care in partnership with healthcare
professionals
4. to do their best to comply with their treatment
5. to advocate for better pain management

WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP?

If you wish to offer your support of this Charter, we welcome your support and comments about the CPC Charter.

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

PAIN: THE SILENT EPIDEMIC

UPDATE: The CPC held a fundraising Gala in Toronto on November 3, 2005 to raise money for their initiative "Pain Hurts Canada", a campaign to raise awareness about pain. Here are some facts from their press kit:

"Pain is a silent epidemic in Canada. Between 17-31% of people report chronic pain. Fifty percent of hospitalized patients report acute pain of moderate to severe intensity.

Pain costs Canadians hugely--both in terms of humans suffering and in real dollars. It is estimated that annual direct medical costs for chronic pain management to be between $10,000-14,000 per patient.

Pain treatment is a right of patients and an obligation of healthcare professionals. Yet, pain goes almost unmentioned in medical training, There is scant training in pain specialists and a severe shortage of acute pain services and pain clinics in hospital settings. In-hospital patients with pain from non-surgical conditions are less likely to have their pain taken seriously enough to be treated. Outpatients who report pain of chronic duration are often dismissed or accused of malingering."

NATIONAL PAIN AWARENESS WEEK(NPAW): November 1-6, 2005

The government of Canada has proclaimed that this event will be held the first week in November each year. Across Canada, special events will be planned to promote the understanding of pain. Watch this space for details!

In conjunction with NPAW 2005, PARC held its CRPS INFO NIGHT in Toronto with a presentation by Dr G Rhydderch. Details can be found on our WHAT'S NEW 2005.

UPDATE:OCTOBER 2006

NATIONAL PAIN AWARENESS WEEK IS NOV. 5-11 across Canada.

PARC is sponsoring "MANAGING CHRONIC PAIN" Wed. Nov. 8 at 7 PM in St. Catharines along with CPAC. Please see our WHAT"S NEW? page for details.

Nov 4-10, 2007 is National Pain Awareness Week across Canada. Details will appear on our WHAT'S NEW? page.