Improving Chronic Pain Management for British Columbians

July 12, 2017
With an estimated one in five British Columbians living with chronic pain – a number that is expected to grow with our aging population, effective pain management is crucial for improving these individuals’ everyday quality of life.
 
Doctors of BC believes our health care system is lacking with regards to helping these patients manage their pain. To address this gap, the Council on Health Economics and Policy (CHEP) developed a policy statement, Improving Chronic Pain Management in BC, which calls for British Columbians living with chronic pain to be able to access timely and appropriate pain management health care services uniformly around the province. 
 
Working in collaboration with health authorities and other stakeholders, Doctors of BC recommends that the Ministry of Health develop and implement a Provincial Chronic Pain Strategy that:
  • Improves access to and funding for chronic pain assessment and treatment options in local communities
  • Develops a collaborative, tiered model for those with high complexity chronic pain where pain management progresses from low intensity to increasingly multidisciplinary and intensive treatment options, and
  • Ensure doctors and other members of the multidisciplinary team have access to evidence-informed best practices education in chronic pain management.
For more information, and to read the policy statement, please click here.