Canadian Pain Task Force and External Advisory Panel Meeting: January 20, 2021

Canadian Pain Task Force Meeting: January 20, 2021, 11:00-13:00 EST
Via videoconference

Meeting Summary

Objectives

• Discuss new mandate and process for Phase III in light of new Health Canada guidance
• Review and discuss initial draft of Phase III report
• Outline potential next steps following report completion

Participants

Task Force: Fiona Campbell, Maria Hudspith, Manon Choinière, Michael Sangster, Jaris Swidrovich, Linda Wilhelm, and Hani El-Gabalawy

External Advisory Panel: Norm Buckley, Christine Chambers, Chloe Crosschild, Gilles Lavigne, David Lussier, Justina Marianayagam, Laura Murphy, Steven Passmore, Dean Penney, John Pereira, Patricia Poulin, Kathleen Reid

Regrets: Jennifer Harris, Jacques Laliberté, Colleen Varcoe, Gerald Zamponi

Secretariat: Olanna Barnett, Baies Haqani, Fiona Morrow, Nyree Schreiber, Andrew Taylor, Megan Wyszynski, Lindsey Yessick

Welcome

• The Secretariat welcomed everyone and provided an overview of the meeting objectives and agenda. The Secretariat also inquired about changes to Task Force member affiliations and interests, with no significant updates reported.

Overview of Health Canada direction and revised Phase III mandate

• The Secretariat gave a brief overview of new Health Canada direction to accelerate Phase III of the Task Force's mandate and adapt the focus of its final report to include recommendations on priority actions. The final recommendations report should be submitted to Health Canada by March 2021.
• The Task Force will continue as originally planned until December 2021 to disseminate knowledge and plan next steps.

Initial drafting of Phase III report

• Maria Hudspith outlined the process to create the initial draft of the Phase III report. This included a review of the first two Task Force reports and international, national, and provincial strategies on chronic pain and other chronic diseases to identify the types of policy levers that can be addressed.
• Members discussed the level of specificity needed within the report to have the greatest impact, agreeing to a spectrum of high-level themes and detailed recommendations based on content and as appropriate. They also discussed the process, benefits, and risks associated with costing out each recommendation, agreeing this would not be feasible.
• Members concluded the most important issue to discuss during the breakout work was the level of specificity needed in each recommendation.

Breakout work: Overall impressions of the report

• Task Force and External Advisory Panel members were divided into small groups to explore the following questions related to the report:
  • What do you think of the general structure and flow? Are there alternatives to consider?
  • Are there any key messages from the Phase I or II reports that are missing in the background and context setting?
  • What recommendations need to be prioritized? What is the right level of specificity?
  • What additional targeted research would you recommend?
• Each group discussed a range of ideas with particular emphasis on individual recommendations and the level of specificity and detail that could be applied, and which recommendations needed to be prioritized, revised, or added.

Report back: Overall impressions of the report

• Task Force and External Advisory Panel members reconvened to discuss the outcomes of each small group and to continue discussing related themes. The main points of discussion involved strengthening recommendations around:
  • interprofessional education and practice
  • innovative approaches to care and virtual care models
  • online resources and services
  • Indigenous medicines and services
  • integrated and complementary therapies
• Members also discussed the importance of:
  • reflecting on social, cultural, sexual, gender, and geographic differences and economic disadvantage
  • distinguishing short, medium, and long-term recommendations
  • referring readers to the first two Task Force reports for a detailed overview of evidence informing the recommendations
  • using graphics and quotes from people living with pain
  • distinguishing opioid use from opioid use disorders

Next steps and follow-up items

• Task Force and External Advisory Panel members will send in any further detailed comments and tracked changes.
• The next Task Force meeting will be February 17 with a focus on discussing the revised version of the report.