Posted • Last updated
Closed
Commitment: Long-term
Connection method: Virtual
Open to Fraser – Vancouver Coastal, Fraser Valley & Lower Mainland
Last updated
Volunteer Opportunity
Managing pain through opioids is a complicated, and often misunderstood experience for both patients and care providers. The Fraser Northwest Division of Family Practice is developing a model to opioid prescribing and are seeking two patient partners to share their living experience that helps find a workable option for all.
Lead Organization/Department
Fraser Northwest Division of Family Practice
Aim
• To develop an opioid prescribing care model that supports patients and providers to effectively manage their pain journey.
• Patient partners will share their living experience living with Chronic Pain when navigating their care through multiple treatments and services. We want to learn what worked well and what the gaps and challenges are.
Level of Engagement
This opportunity is at the level of consult on the spectrum of engagement (www.iap2.org). The promise to you is that the health care partner will listen to and acknowledge your ideas and concerns and provide feedback on how your input affected the decision.
Open to volunteers from across Vancouver Coastal and Fraser Health who:
• Have experience with the use of prescribed opioids to manage pain
• Are comfortable telling their story and contributing to a group, and
• Can be flexible in the ways that they may be involved over the next year
If you have a strong interest in this work but have not yet completed a PVN orientation and Patient Partner Commitment, are unsure if your experience is a good fit, please contact Jami Brown directly. There will be an informal conversation about the opportunity. The goal is to find the best fit for all involved
Logistics
• Number: 2
• Date/Time: First meeting is to be determined, in consultation with all involved (potentially in August 2022).
• Commitment: Every other month for up to two hours, with some reading in between (up to 5 hours every other month. Up to one year.
• Location: Virtual via Zoom.
Reimbursement
No out-of-pocket expenses are anticipated for this engagement opportunity. However, if you meet the eligibility criteria, but have concerns about your ability to participate, please contact Jami Brown (jbrown@bcpsqc.ca) to see if support options are available. We are always seeking to better understand and reduce barriers to participation.
Background
There are a high number of patients without family doctors on high dose opioids for chronic non-cancer pain who are having trouble connecting with providers to help manage their long-term care. Due to fears surrounding opioid prescribing and lack of knowledge, skills, and support to manage complex chronic pain patients, providers are hesitant or may decline supporting these patients. Some family doctors have shared that those patients without a family doctor cannot get their opioid prescriptions refilled at walk-in clinics. This puts barriers on patients accessing care and a greater burden on family doctors to manage these patients.
The Fraser Northwest Chronic Pain Shared Care has had a lot of discussions on how to better support patients in the Fraser Northwest area (including needs assessment activities such as patient journey map, patient surveys, patient stories, and physician surveys). This issue has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and New Westminster is now on the top 10 overdose list by city. The Chronic Pain Committee has discussed potential solutions and identified one strategy worthwhile to pilot, which is an Opioid Prescribing Care Model.
The objectives of the project are:
1. Patient feels well enabled with resources, feels supported and confident with a collaborative pain management plan. Has individual self-management skills, knowledge and awareness of available resources.
2. Primary Care Provider (PCP) feels supported and both PCP and specialist sees merit and satisfaction with model of care and experience.
