Publications by authors named "Patricia Poulin"

Objective: Chronic pain affects approximately 7.6 million Canadians and access to care remains an issue. The Power Over Pain (POP) Portal offers immediate access to evidence-based resources ranging from low- (e.

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  • Dexmedetomidine is being increasingly used in surgeries involving general anesthesia, but its impact on patient outcomes needs further evaluation.
  • A systematic review of 44 randomized controlled trials with nearly 5904 participants indicated that intraoperative dexmedetomidine significantly improved recovery quality after surgery.
  • The study found a 99% likelihood of any benefit from its use and an 88% chance of achieving a meaningful improvement in recovery, along with a reduction in chronic pain incidence.
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  • Wait times for appointments at Canadian multidisciplinary pain clinics have been excessively long for nearly 20 years, prompting this study to investigate patients' experiences during the waiting period for chronic pain care.
  • The study surveyed 593 new patients in clinics across Ontario, Quebec, and Manitoba from February 2020 to October 2022, gathering data on wait times, quality of life, and the health care professionals they consulted while waiting.
  • Results showed that while many patients waited under 6 months, a significant number experienced long waits, severely impacting their quality of life, pointing to the need for improved support and possible solutions like electronic consultations.
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Background: Postoperative patient-centred outcome measures are essential to capture the patient's experience after surgery. Although a large number of pharmacologic opioid minimisation strategies (i.e.

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Introduction: Dexmedetomidine is a promising pharmaceutical strategy to minimise opioid use during surgery. Despite its growing use, it is uncertain whether dexmedetomidine can improve patient-centred outcomes such as quality of recovery and pain.

Methods And Analysis: We will conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis following the recommendations of the .

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Background: The Chronic Pain Network (CPN) is a pan-Canadian research network focused on innovating and improving the quality and delivery of pain prevention, assessment, management and research for all Canadians. An important focus of the CPN is to work in collaboration with patient partners. Patient partners, researchers and clinicians work together in all aspects of the research network including on funded research projects and in the governance of the Network.

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Background: Paediatric chronic pain was a public health emergency before the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and this problem is predicted to escalate. Pain tends to occur intergenerationally in families, and youth with chronic pain and their parents have high rates of mental health issues, which can further exacerbate pain. Siblings of youth with chronic pain have been largely overlooked in research, as well as the impact of the pandemic on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and healthcare utilization.

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Introduction: Spine surgery patients have high rates of perioperative opioid consumption, with a chronic opioid use prevalence of 20%. A proposed solution is the implementation of a Transitional Pain Service (TPS), which provides patient-tailored multidisciplinary care. Its feasibility has not been demonstrated in spine surgery.

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Introduction: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare centers quickly adapted services into virtual formats. Pain clinics in Canada play a vital role in helping people living with pain, and these clinics remained essential services for patients throughout the pandemic. This study aimed to (1) describe and compare the transition from in-person to virtual pain care services at Canadian pain clinics during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and (2) provide postpandemic recommendations for pain care services to optimize the quality of patient care.

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Background: Balance between benefits and harms of using opioids for the management of chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) must be carefully considered on a case-by-case basis. There is no one-size-fits-all approach that can be executed by prescribers and clinicians when considering this therapy.

Aim: The aim of this study was to identify barriers and facilitators for prescribing opioids for CNCP through a systematic review of qualitative literature.

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Article Synopsis
  • The text discusses a scoping review aimed at examining the effectiveness of strategies to minimize opioid use during surgery, in light of the ongoing opioid epidemic.
  • The review will focus on randomized controlled trials that evaluate how these opioid minimization strategies impact patient-centered outcomes, using a multidisciplinary approach that involves patient partners and knowledge users.
  • The study aims to compile a comprehensive overview of clinical trials, compare their outcomes with established recommendations, and identify effective strategies for reducing opioid use in surgical settings.
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Introduction: Pediatric chronic pain is a significant problem in Canada, affecting one in five youth. This study describes the impact of the pandemic on the experiences of Canadian families living with chronic pain through interviews with youth living with chronic pain, parents, and siblings.

Methods: Employing a qualitative descriptive design, in-depth semistructured interviews were completed with Canadian youth living with pain, as well as parents and siblings.

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Background: Chronic pain affects approximately one in every five Canadians and has a substantial impact on psychological well-being, relationships, ability to attend work or school, and overall functioning.The Ottawa Hospital Pain Clinic introduced orientation sessions, with the aim of providing new patients with pain education to help prepare patients for engagement with multimodal pain management strategies. This report summarizes the results of a formative evaluation of the orientation session at The Ottawa Hospital Pain Clinic to determine whether patients perceived the orientation session as beneficial.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study aimed to create an Evidence and Gap Map (EGM) to identify intervention categories and outcomes in chronic musculoskeletal (MSK) pain research since there are currently none in that field.
  • - Researchers analyzed 4,299 systematic reviews from various databases, ultimately including 457, with most rated as low-quality; physical interventions like exercise therapy were most common, while interdisciplinary approaches were rare.
  • - The findings highlighted a significant lack of high-quality research in chronic MSK pain and emphasized the necessity for future studies to consider a more comprehensive biopsychosocial approach.
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Background: Chronic pain (CP) is a debilitating disease that reduces quality of life, decreases productivity, and has become a primary cause of health care resource consumption. Despite this, many Canadian family physicians have received little formal education in managing CP, making it one of the most challenging areas of practice in primary care. Project Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes Chronic Pain & Opioid Stewardship St.

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Objectives: Patient and stakeholder engagements in research have increasingly gained attention in healthcare and healthcare-related research. A common and rigorous approach to establish research priorities based on input from people and stakeholders is the James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership (JLA-PSP). The aim of this study was to establish research priorities for chronic musculoskeletal (MSK) pain by engaging with people living with chronic MSK pain, relatives to people living with chronic MSK pain, healthcare professionals (HCP), and researchers working with chronic MSK pain.

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Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of group-delivered mindfulness-based stress reduction as compared to a waitlist control group among breast cancer survivors living with CNP.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial design was applied, and outcomes collected included pain, emotional function, quality of life, and global impression of change.

Results: A total of 98 women were randomized and included in analyses.

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Background: Breast cancer (BC) survivors frequently report changes in cognition after chemotherapy. Mindfulness may benefit survivors by mitigating cancer-related cognitive impairment. As part of a larger study investigating the effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) for BC survivors living with neuropathic pain, the authors assessed whether MBSR would have an effect on cognitive outcomes.

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Chronic pain affects 1 in 5 youth, many of whom manage their pain using a biopsychosocial approach. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the way that healthcare is delivered. As part of a larger program of research, this study aimed to understand the impact of the pandemic on pediatric chronic pain care delivery including impact on patients' outcomes, from the perspective of pediatric healthcare providers.

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Purpose: To investigate the impact of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) on gray matter volume (GMV) in female breast cancer survivors who suffer from chronic neuropathic pain (CNP).

Methods: Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was used to explore differences in GMV in 13 MBSR trainees and 10 waitlisted controls, with MRI scans and self-report measures completed pre- and post-8 weeks of training.

Results: Compared to controls, the MBSR group had greater GMV in the angular gyrus and middle frontal gyrus post-training.

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Objectives: To evaluate the effect of a collaborative interdisciplinary pain assessment program on pain and health-related quality of life among individuals with chronic pain who frequently visit the emergency department (ED).

Methods: Individuals with chronic pain who frequented the ED (ie, ≥8 visits within the previous 12 months) were randomly assigned to a collaborative chronic pain management program or treatment as usual. Primary outcomes were change in physical function and visits to the ED from baseline to 12 months using validated measures.

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Introduction: Current treatments for chronic pain (eg, opioids) can have adverse side effects and rarely result in resolution of pain. As such, there is a need for adjuvant analgesics that are non-addictive, have few adverse side effects and are effective for pain management across several chronic pain conditions. Oxytocin is a naturally occurring hormone that has gained attention for its potential analgesic properties.

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: The COVID-19 pandemic presents one of the greatest threats to pediatric pain care seen in generations. Due to public health restrictions, many pediatric pain clinics halted in-person appointments, delaying and disrupting access to care. There is no existing research on the impacts of COVID-19 on pediatric chronic pain care in Canada or the challenges experienced by health care professionals and pain clinics.

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Background: Access to multidisciplinary pain management treatment in Canada is limited, with wait times up to 4 years. Stepped care approaches to mental health treatment have led to substantial reduction and elimination of wait times and may be applicable to chronic pain settings. There is no unifying framework for stepped care chronic pain programs.

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