Experiences of Pediatric Pain Professionals Providing Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study
Tieghan Killackey,
Krista Baerg,
Bruce Dick,
Christine Lamontagne,
Raju Poolacherla,
G. Allen Finley,
Melanie Noel,
Kathryn A. Birnie,
Manon Choinière,
M. Gabrielle Pagé,
Lise Dassieu,
Anaïs Lacasse,
Chitra Lalloo,
Patricia Poulin,
Samina Ali,
Marco Battaglia,
Fiona Campbell,
Lauren Harris,
Vina Mohabir,
Fareha Nishat,
Myles Benayon,
Isabel Jordan,
Jennifer Stinson
Affiliations
Tieghan Killackey
Child Health Evaluative Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
Krista Baerg
Department of Pediatrics, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 0W8, Canada
Bruce Dick
Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9, Canada
Christine Lamontagne
Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Ottawa, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
Raju Poolacherla
Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Western University, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada
G. Allen Finley
Department of Anesthesia, Pain Management & Perioperative Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
Melanie Noel
Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
Kathryn A. Birnie
Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
Manon Choinière
Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Research Center of the Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H2X 0A9, Canada
M. Gabrielle Pagé
Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Research Center of the Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H2X 0A9, Canada
Lise Dassieu
Department of Biomedical Sciences, Research Center of the Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada
Anaïs Lacasse
Department of Health Sciences, Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Rouyn-Noranda, QC J9X 5E4, Canada
Chitra Lalloo
Child Health Evaluative Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
Patricia Poulin
Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Ottawa, Otttawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
Samina Ali
Departments of Pediatrics & Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
Marco Battaglia
Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M6G 1H4, Canada
Fiona Campbell
Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1E2, Canada
Lauren Harris
Child Health Evaluative Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
Vina Mohabir
Child Health Evaluative Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
Fareha Nishat
Child Health Evaluative Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
Myles Benayon
Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 3L8, Canada
Isabel Jordan
Independent Researcher, Squamish, BC, Canada
Jennifer Stinson
Child Health Evaluative Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
Chronic pain affects 1 in 5 youth, many of whom manage their pain using a biopsychosocial approach. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the way that healthcare is delivered. As part of a larger program of research, this study aimed to understand the impact of the pandemic on pediatric chronic pain care delivery including impact on patients’ outcomes, from the perspective of pediatric healthcare providers. A qualitative descriptive study design was used and 21 healthcare providers from various professional roles, clinical settings, and geographic locations across Canada were interviewed. Using a reflexive thematic analysis approach 3 themes were developed: (1) duality of pandemic impact on youth with chronic pain (i.e., how the pandemic influenced self-management while also exacerbating existing socioeconomic inequalities); (2) changes to the healthcare system and clinical practices (i.e., triaging and access to care); (3) shift to virtual care (i.e., role of institutions and hybrid models of care). These findings outline provider perspectives on the positive and negative impacts of the pandemic on youth with chronic pain and highlight the role of socioeconomic status and access to care in relation to chronic pain management during the pandemic in a high-income country with a publicly funded healthcare system.
