Canada is a recognized world leader in children’s pain research and we are seeing more examples of that research changing the way we perceive, assess and treat pain in children, but challenges translating this research to practice remain. There is tremendous, high calibre research to support multiple mechanisms to minimize and avoid procedural pain for infants and children. To make it easier to translate this good evidence into practice in all health care settings, CAPHC’s Pain Community of Practice (CoP) has worked to build a collection of Tool Kits for evidence based interventions supported by tools, education, policies and strategies to aid in the implementation of best practices for acute procedural pain in infants and children. These Toolkits in include:
1. Assessment;
2. Distraction;
3. Intranasal Fentanyl;
4. Breastfeeding, non-nutritive sucking and Positioning;
5. Oral Sucrose;
6. Topical Anesthetics for Venipuncture,
7. Pain Management for Suturing; and
8. Implementation Strategies.
This session will provide a brief background of the CoP and how the toolkits were created. We will then provide some exemplars of how specific Tool Kits might be used. We will focus on examples from the field where individuals and organizations have been successful in implementing and supporting practice change, locally. From oral sucrose in the emergency department to maxilene in the in-patient units, this session will provide strategies that can lead to improved care and better patient and family experience.
PRESENTERS
Dr. Samina Ali is a paediatric emergency physician at the Stollery Children's Hospital (Edmonton, Alberta), and Professor of Paediatrics & Emergency Medicine at the University of Alberta. She is the Assistant Dean (Professionalism) for the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Alberta. She completed her medical and post-graduate training at McGill University and Memorial University. Her research focus is a acute pediatric pain management in the emergency department, and she holds both provincial and federal funding in this area.
Ashleigh Townley has been a Knowledge Broker at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital for three years. Ashleigh holds a Master’s degree in International Studies from Newcastle University, a Bachelor of Science, Health Promotion from Dalhousie University and completed the Knowledge Translation Professional Certificate through the Hospital for Sick Children. Ashleigh has worked nationally and internationally in HIV/AIDS prevention, sexual health education, community development and programming planning with children, youth and vulnerable populations.
Kathy Reid, RN, MN, NP, Nurse Practitioner with the Pediatric Chronic Pain Service, Stollery Children’s Hospital, Edmonton, Alberta. She obtained her BScN in 1983 from Queen’s University and her MN in 2008 from University of Alberta. Her research projects include development of an e-book for families whose children have chronic pain, exploring treatment expectations of parents whose children have chronic pain, peer relationships in teens with chronic pain, and the use of Arts and Narrative therapy in pediatrics. She currently co-chairs the Stollery Pediatric Pain Management committee. Kathy has presented at numerous symposiums locally, nationally and internationally. She has authored/co-authored 3 book chapters on pediatric pain in the past 2 years. Kathy holds joint appointments with both the Faculty of Nursing and the Faculty of Anaesthesiology and Pain Medicine at the University of Alberta. In her spare time she loves to knit and travel!
Elana Jackson is a Certified Child Life Specialist at McMaster Children's Hospital in Hamilton, Ontario. She holds a Master's Degree in Early Childhood Studies and has conducted qualitative research on children's health care experiences. Elana has worked in the Emergency Department and in the Pediatric Chronic Pain Program at McMaster. She is passionate about empowering children and families to build their own "toolkits" to cope with and conquer pain!
Jennifer Thull-Freedman, MD, MSc, DipABP, is the Medical Lead for Quality and Safety at the Alberta Children’s Hospital Emergency Department and the chair of the ACH Child Health Quality Council. Her interests are in using quality improvement methods to understand and improve the care provided to children visiting the ED. Her recent work in improving the ED pain experience has led to improved outcomes for children visiting the ED for limb injuries and is being spread to multiple emergency departments and urgent care centres in the Calgary area.
