OTTAWA – Solutions for Kids in Pain (SKIP) and Health Standards Organization (HSO) opened a public review on a new Pediatric Pain Management standard, which will be a National Standard of Canada. The public is invited to review the draft standard (CAN/HSO 13200:2021 (E) – Pediatric Pain Management) and provide feedback until January 21, 2022.
The new national standard, sponsored by SKIP and being developed jointly by HSO, focuses on the delivery of quality pain care to children across the country. It aims to improve the quality and effectiveness of pediatric pain management for children up to 19 years of age and their families across the continuum of care and ensure services are provided in an equitable, evidence-informed, trauma- and violence-informed, and people-centred way.
“Despite an abundance of evidence-based solutions for effective pain management, children in Canada continue to experience high rates of undertreated and preventable pain. The development of this new national health standard is an important opportunity to ensure that all children in Canada receive the best pain management wherever and whenever they receive care,” says Dr. Katie Birnie, a clinical psychologist, Associate Scientific Director of SKIP, and Chair of the standard’s Working Group.
The standard will also be used to guide practice, related professional development offerings, policy development, and quality improvement initiatives related to pediatric pain management.
“I really hope that having this standard will ease the difficult situation of managing pain, not just for families, but also for health care professionals. It will give them a clearer path on how to develop a plan for a child who is experiencing pain. Additionally, more information needs to be made available to families about what is acceptable for pain treatment wait times and who they need to speak to when their child is experiencing pain,” says Stephanie Paravan, parent of a medically complex child and a member of the standard’s Working Group.
Paravan adds that existing standards and policies do not provide guidance on how to work with children or youth who communicate differently. “I wanted to make sure we included information that directly relates to children who are non-verbal or who communicate differently,” she says.
“A new national Pediatric Pain Management standard will foster better, more open communication between patients, their families and health care professionals. I think it will help children and teens better advocate for themselves and feel heard,” says Natasha Murji, a Patient with Lived Experience and also a member of the standard’s Working Group.
Fast Facts:
• By visiting healthstandards.org/public-reviews/, members of the public will be able to read the standard and provide their feedback.
• Once reviewed and finalized, the new standard will be an official National Standard of Canada. The standard’s release is targeted for the end of 2022.
For more information, please contact publications@healthstandards.org. For media enquiries at SKIP, please contact Sherry Brown, Communications Specialist at SKIP, sherry.brown@dal.ca.
About Solutions for Kids in Pain (SKIP):
SKIP is a knowledge mobilization network, based at Dalhousie University and co‐led by Children’s Healthcare Canada, that seeks to bridge the gap between current treatment practices and available evidence‐based solutions for children’s pain in Canadian health institutions. SKIP’s mission is to improve children’s pain management by mobilizing evidence-based solutions through coordination and collaboration. #ItDoesntHavetoHurt
About Health Standards Organization (HSO):
HSO proudly works with leading experts and people with lived experience to develop standards, assessment programs and quality improvement solutions. HSO’s areas of focus are people-centred care, integrated health services, and safe and reliable care. HSO has established more than 110 standards used in over 15,000 locations across more than 35 countries.