Canadian Pain Task Force and External Advisory Panel Meeting: March 10, 2021

Canadian Pain Task Force Meeting: March 10, 2021, 11:00-13:00 EST
Via videoconference

Meeting Summary

Objectives

• Review draft Phase III report and discuss needed revisions.
• Engage in detailed feedback and dialogue related to Phase III report messaging and takeaways.
• Discuss an approach to Phase III report release, post-report operational planning, and next steps.

Participants

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

EAP: Norm Buckley, Christine Chambers, Chloe Crosschild, Jennifer Harris, Gilles Lavigne, David Lussier, Justina Marianayagam, Laura Murphy, Steven Passmore, Dean Penney, John Pereira, Patricia Poulin, Kathleen Reid, Colleen Varcoe

Secretariat: Kelly Albert, Olanna Barnett, Suzete Dos Santos, Fiona Morrow, Nyree Schreiber, Andrew Taylor, Megan Wyszynski, Lindsey Yessick

Health Canada: Shannon Nix

Regrets: Gerald Zamponi

Welcome

• The Task Force Co-Chairs welcomed everyone and provided an overview of the meeting objectives and agenda. The Secretariat also inquired about changes to member affiliations and interests, with no significant updates reported.
• Shannon Nix – the new Associate Assistant Deputy Minister of the Controlled Substances and Cannabis Branch – welcomed Task Force and External Advisory Panel members, provided introductory remarks, and recognized the wealth of experience and expertise present.

Phase III communications planning and next steps post-release

• The Secretariat outlined the process for revising the Phase III report and provided a summary of the previously integrated revisions. They also outlined the proposed communications plan and a broader work plan for the months following the Phase III report release.
• Members discussed a number of suggested areas of focus for Phase III report outreach, including news and social media, creation of a dedicated chronic pain webpage on the Health Canada website, blog posting, podcasts, newsletters, academic journal articles, and presentations at various conferences and committees.
• Members also discussed developing template materials that could be shared with stakeholders and organizations to help promote and disseminate the report.
• There was general agreement to systematically document potential future activities, and that the Secretariat would reach out to the Task Force and External Advisory Panel with related tools following the meeting.

Discussion of specific report recommendations and revisions

• Working as a large group, members discussed a range of potential changes, including how best to clarify, reduce, and strengthen various recommendations. General points of discussion included the following themes:
  • Ensuring future clinical guidelines have clear mechanisms for knowledge translation, evaluation, and updates.
  • Including graphics or a visual representation of the report themes.
  • Increasing integration of people with lived experience across recommendations.
  • Pruning recommendations to focus specifically on those relating to pain.
  • Prioritizing specific recommendations to help with messaging around next steps.
• Members agreed to submitting specific changes and feedback, which will be integrated to finalize the report content.

Next steps and follow-up items

• The Task Force and External Advisory Panel members will send comments and revisions on the report to the Secretariat.
• The next iteration of the report will be shared with Task Force members for final sign-off.