Editor’s note: For the past 22 years, September has been declared Pain Awareness Month. During this time, we reflect on the global burden of pain and assess ways to increase engagement, awareness, and advocacy regarding this issue. Although September is concluding, we should continue to engage in these vital practices!
This episode of the IASP-PRF Podcast highlights an emerging resource for adults and youths with the lived experience of pain called the Power Over Pain Portal. The Power Over Pain Portal works toward improving access to chronic pain care by providing access to free resources in a “one-stop shop,” including articles, videos, podcasts, courses, workshops, peer support, and even 24/7 one-on-one counseling – offered through Wellness Together Canada. While initiated and designed by a consortium of researchers, clinicians, patient partners, hospitals, and institutions in Canada, the Power Over Pain Portal is freely available worldwide. In this episode, PRF spoke with developers of the Power Over Pain Portal to learn more about its initiation, resources, and plans for the future.
Podcast participants include:
- Lynn Cooper, Director of Research & Education – Canadian Injured Workers Alliance
- Jennifer Stinson, RN-EC, PhD, CPNP, FAAN, SickKids, Toronto, Canada
- Yaad Shergill, DC, MSc, The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, and One Elephant Integrative Health Team Inc., Ontario, Canada
- Gregory Carbonetti, PhD, IASP Associate Director of Publications (host)
This podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts here.
The Power Over Pain Portal is funded by Health Canada’s Substance Use and Addictions Program. The views expressed may not represent those of Health Canada.
About the participants:
Lynn Cooper is the director of Research and Education for the Canadian Injured Workers Alliance and a patient partner in the Chronic Pain Network – located at McMaster University Medical Center – which supports, coordinates, and synchronizes leading innovative and high-impact research with the goal of removing barriers to better chronic pain management. Lynn is a former president of the Canadian Pain Coalition and has spent more than 20 years volunteering with organizations that seek to better understand issues surrounding pain.
Jennifer Stinson, RN-EC, PhD, CPNP, FAAN, is a nurse clinician-scientist in Child Health Evaluative Sciences, a nurse practitioner in the Chronic Pain Program at the Hospital for Sick Children (or SickKids) in Toronto, Canada, and co-director of the SickKids Center for Pain Management, Research and Education. She is also a member of the IASP Council.
Yaadwinder Shergill, DC, MSc, is a clinical research associate for the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute in Canada, professor (part-time) at Seneca College, and a chiropractor and co-founder of the One Elephant Integrative Health Team, which provides interdisciplinary team-based care to individuals and families in Oakville, Ontario, Canada.
Gregory Carbonetti, PhD, is the IASP Associate Director of Publications and an avid New York Jets supporter.
Further reading:
Birnie KA, Pavlova M, Neville A, Noel M, Jordan I, Jordan E, Marianayagam J, Stinson J, Lorenzetti DL, Faulkner V, Killackey T, Campbell F, Lalloo C. Rapid Evidence and Gap Map of virtual care solutions across a stepped care continuum for youth with chronic pain and their families in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. PAIN. 2021 Nov 1;162(11):2658-2668. doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002339. PMID: 34050111; PMCID: PMC8516804.
Neville A, Lund T, Soltani S, Jordan A, Stinson J, Killackey T, Birnie KA, Noel M. Pediatric Chronic Pain in the Midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lived Experiences of Youth and Parents. J Pain. 2022 May;23(5):841-851. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2021.11.012. Epub 2021 Dec 13. PMID: 34915200; PMCID: PMC8710941.
Killackey T, Noel M, Birnie KA, Choinière M, Pagé MG, Dassieu L, Lacasse A, Lalloo C, Brennenstuhl S, Poulin P, Ingelmo P, Ali S, Battaglia M, Campbell F, Smith A, Harris L, Mohabir V, Benayon M, Jordan I, Marianayagam J, Stinson J. COVID-19 Pandemic Impact and Response in Canadian Pediatric Chronic Pain Care: A National Survey of Medical Directors and Pain Professionals. Can J Pain. 2021 Jun 30;5(1):139-150. doi: 10.1080/24740527.2021.1931069. PMID: 34263096; PMCID: PMC8253119.
Killackey T, Baerg K, Dick B, Lamontagne C, Poolacherla R, Finley GA, Noel M, Birnie KA, Choinière M, Pagé MG, Dassieu L, Lacasse A, Lalloo C, Poulin P, Ali S, Battaglia M, Campbell F, Harris L, Mohabir V, Nishat F, Benayon M, Jordan I, Stinson J. Experiences of Pediatric Pain Professionals Providing Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study. Children (Basel). 2022 Feb 9;9(2):230. doi: 10.3390/children9020230. PMID: 35204950; PMCID: PMC8870259.
Killackey T, Soltani S, Noel M, Birnie KA, Choinière M, Pagé MG, Dassieu L, Lacasse A, Lalloo C, Poulin P, Ali S, Baerg K, Battaglia M, Campbell F, Mohabir V, Nishat F, Kelly R, Lund T, Isaac-Bertrand A, Benayon M, Jordan I, Stinson J. “We survived the pandemic together”: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Canadian families living with chronic pain. Can J Pain. 2023 Feb 6;7(2):2157251. doi: 10.1080/24740527.2022.2157251. PMID: 36760709; PMCID: PMC9904303.
Bisson EJ, Zahrai A, Shergill Y, Cooper L, Zur Nedden N, Fitzgerald S, Bosma R, Rash J, Poulin P. The Power Over Pain Portal: Implementation pilot in an Ontario tertiary pain clinic. Canadian Pain Society’s 2023 Annual Scientific Virtual Meeting, May 2023.
Bell L, Cornish P, Gauthier R, Kargus C, Rash J, Robbins R, Ward S, Poulin PA. Implementation of the Ottawa Hospital Pain Clinic stepped care program: A preliminary report. Can J Pain. 2020 Aug 13;4(1):168-178. doi: 10.1080/24740527.2020.1768059. PMID: 33987496; PMCID: PMC7951149.
Glynn BA, Khoo EL, MacLeay HML, Duong A, Cantave R, Poulin PA. Exploring Cancer Patients’ Experiences of an Online Mindfulness-Based Program: A Qualitative Investigation. Mindfulness (N Y). 2020;11(7):1666-1677. doi: 10.1007/s12671-020-01380-z. Epub 2020 Apr 27. PMID: 32670431; PMCID: PMC7346987.
Borg Debono V, Neumark S, Buckley N, Zacharias R, Hapidou E, Anthonypillai J, Faria S, Meyer CL, Carter T, Parker N, Lau B, Abreu E, Duggan S, Bisson E, Pierre J, Visca R, Poulin P. Transition to Virtual Care Services during COVID-19 at Canadian Pain Clinics: Survey and Future Recommendations. Pain Res Manag. 2023 Apr 3;2023:6603625. doi: 10.1155/2023/6603625. PMID: 37051562; PMCID: PMC10085656.