Are They Still Friends? Friendship Stability of Adolescents With Chronic Pain: 1-Year Follow-Up.

Most adolescents identify their best friend as their main source of social support. Adolescents with chronic pain (ACP) report the loss of friendships due to pain. Friendships protect against loneliness and depression, yet adolescents with pain experience increased levels of loneliness and depression compared to peers.

Accessing care in multidisciplinary pain treatment facilities continues to be a challenge in Canada.

Background: Multidisciplinary pain treatment facilities (MPTFs) are considered the optimal settings for the management of chronic pain (CP). This study aimed (1) to determine the distribution of MPTFs across Canada, (2) to document time to access and types of services, and (3) to compare the results to those obtained in 2005-2006.

Methods: This cross-sectional study used the same MPTF definition as in 2005-2006-that is, a clinic staffed with professionals from a minimum of three different disciplines (including at least one medical specialty) and whose services were integrated within the facility.

Pain in Children and Adolescents With Sickle Cell Disease: Multidimensional Assessment.

Background: Patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) suffer from recurrent painful vaso-occlusive episodes with a significant impact on their quality of life. The aim of this study was to perform a multidimensional assessment of pain in Portuguese children and adolescents with SCD.

Methods: Subjects were children and adolescents and their parents recruited from the outpatient pediatric hematology clinic in a Portuguese Hospital.

Creating a safe space for First Nations youth to share their pain.

Introduction: Indigenous children and youth may be quiet about the way they express their pain and hurt which is in contrast to how health professionals are trained to assess it.

Objectives: The aim was to understand how youth from 4 First Nation communities express pain using narratives and art-based methods to inform culturally appropriate assessment and treatment.

Methods: This qualitative investigation used a community-based participatory action methodology to recruit 42 youth between 8 and 17 years of age to share their perspectives of pain using ethnographic techniques including a Talking Circle followed by a painting workshop.

Indicators of pain in neonates at risk for neurological impairment.

Aim: This paper is a report of a study to compare the importance and usefulness ratings of physiological and behavioural indicators of pain in neonates at risk for neurological impairment by nurse clinicians and pain researchers.

Background: Neonates at risk for neurological impairment have not been systematically included in neonatal pain measure development and how clinicians and researchers view pain indicators in these infants is unknown.

Methods: Data triangulation was undertaken in three Canadian Neonatal Intensive Care Units using data from: (a) 149 neonates at high, moderate and low risk for neurological impairment, (b) 95 nurse clinicians from the three units where infant data were collected and (c) 14 international pain researchers.