Pain Module Improvement Charter - DRAFT

Aim Statement


What are we trying to accomplish?

We aim to improve the quality of patient care available in non-pain specialized general practice for patients living with chronic pain. This will be measured by an increase in function or reduced decline in function, as indicated by a change in the Brief Pain Inventory/ Pain Disability Index Scores.

Through this work we expect:

  • The experiences of patients and their families to improve through better management of chronic pain.
  • Improve physician experience through increasedconfidence in identifying and managing patients with persistent pain
  • Reduced health care utilization costs to the system through optimal use of general and specialist services.

Key change areas:

Physicians without a Specialty in Pain

› Identify patients early with acute pain that have potential to transition to chronic pain.

›Provide early identification of patients with persistent pain with increased use of structured assessment and screening tools related to pain.

›Improve communication with patients about persistent pain.

›Shared care between Pain Specialist, Family Physician and Non-pain Specialists defined and communicated.

›Enhance awareness of community resources.

›Improve patient self-management support.

›Strengthen communication with multi-disciplinary providers.

›Conduct an appropriate “work up” to facilitate the fast tracking of the referral.

Pain Specialists

›Improve communication, in particular related to referral and consult, with local non-pain specialists and family physicians.

›Participate in mentor-mentee networks.

How will we know that a change is an improvement?

Name of Measure / Description of Measure / Goal
Assessment / # of patients who have chronic pain and been assessed with the Brief Pain Inventory Tool/ Pain Disability Index Tool / Reference Link
Outcome / % of patients who have chronic pain and have an improved score by at least ______points
Patient education / % of patients diagnosed with chronic pain with documentation of receiving education regarding their diagnosis of chronic pain, medications, importance of physical activity, neuroplasticity (calming own neurosystem) and/or any interventional procedures in the medical record. / ReferenceLink
Specialist Referral or consult / % of patients diagnosed with chronicpain who have not met pain control or functional status goals who are referred to pain specialist or linked to a RACE consult to guide care. / Reference Link
Depression Screen / % of patients diagnosed with chronic pain with documentation of screening for major depression. / Reference Link
Documented self-management goals / % of patients diagnosed with chronic pain who have documentation sleep management goals. / Reference Link
Functional Outcome Goals / % of patients diagnosed with chronic pain with functional outcome goals documented in the medical record. / Reference Link
Reassessment / % of patients diagnosed with chronic pain with documentation of reassessment of pain at follow-up visits using a standardized tool. / Reference Link
Referral to allied health/ community resource / % of patients diagnosed with chronic pain with referral to physical rehabilitation and/or behavioral management therapy, or other community resource. / Reference Link
Opioid Management Strategy / % patients who are using an opoid who are on an opioid management strategy / Reference Link
Waitlist across the province

1 of 2