Role of Health Care Professionals in Multidisciplinary Pain Treatment Facilities in Canada

Abstract

Different health care professionals play a variety of important roles in MPTF in Canada. However, few of them are involved on a full-time basis and the extent to which pain is assessed and treated in a truly multidisciplinary manner is questionable.

The development of chronic pain: physiological CHANGE necessitates a multidisciplinary approach to treatment

“…primary care physician, anesthesiologist/pain specialist and psychiatrist), plus non-physicians (e.g. psychologist, physiotherapist and nurses)64. The primary care physician has a key role, acting as gatekeeper of the treatment strategy, as well as being responsible for the long-term care of the patient and referral where necessary.…”

The CanPain SCI Clinical Practice Guideline for Rehabilitation Management of Neuropathic Pain after Spinal Cord: recommendations for model systems of care

“…The core members of the team also vary accordingly but typically include members from three or more medical specialities (e.g., anaesthesiology, neurology, rheumatology, orthopaedics, neurosurgery, clinical psychology/psychiatry, nursing, rehabilitation and physiotherapy/physical therapy) (Figure 6). In many countries, in practice, the core team consists of three physicians (primary care physicians, anaesthesiologists and psychiatrists) and nonphysicians (psychologists, physiotherapists and nurses) [Peng et al 2008].…”

Improved and Sustained Functional Outcomes of a Multidisciplinary Care Program for Patients with Chronic Primary Headache Disorders

“…There have been fewer investigating the efficacy of multidisciplinary treatments for any disorder in pediatric populations and even fewer regarding outcomes of multidisciplinary headache clinics [16]. Various studies evaluating these clinics have found that the multidisciplinary approach is quite successful in both short-term and long-term improvement of pediatric chronic headache conditions [17][18][19].…”