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Background National strategies from North America call for substantive improvements in entry-level pain management education to help reduce the burden of chronic pain. Past work has generated a valuable set of interprofessional pain management competencies to guide the education of future health professionals. However, there has been very limited work that has explored the development of such competencies for individual professions in different regions. Developing profession-specific competencies tailored to the local context is a necessary first step to integrate them within local regulatory systems. Our group is working toward this goal within the context of entry-level physiotherapy (PT) programs across Canada. Aims This study aimed to create a consensus-based competency profile for pain management, specific to the Canadian PT context. Methods A modified Delphi design was used to achieve consensus across Canadian university-based and clinical pain educators. Results Representatives from 14 entry-level PT programs (93% of Canadian programs) and six clinical educators were recruited. After two rounds, a total of 15 competencies reached the predetermined endorsement threshold (75%). Most participants (85%) reported being “very satisfied” with the process. Conclusions This process achieved consensus on a novel pain management competency profile specific to the Canadian PT context. The resulting profile delineates the necessary abilities required by physiotherapists to manage pain upon entry to practice. Participants were very satisfied with the process. This study also contributes to the emerging literature on integrated research in pain management by profiling research methodology that can be used to inform related work in other health professions and regions.

Background The Canadian Pain Task Force recently advanced an action plan calling for improved entry-level health professional pain education. However, there is little research to inform the collaboration and coordination across stakeholders that is needed for its implementation.Aims This article reports on the development of a stakeholder-generated strategic plan to improve pain education across all Canadian physiotherapy (PT) programs.Methods Participants included representatives from the following stakeholder groups: people living with pain (n = 1), PT students and recent graduates (n = 2), educators and directors from every Canadian PT program (n = 24), and leaders of Canada’s national PT professional association (n = 2). Strategic priorities were developed through three steps: (1) stakeholder-generated data were collected and analyzed, (2) a draft strategic plan was developed and refined, and (3) stakeholder endorsement of the final plan was assessed. The project was primarily implemented online between 2016 and 2018.Results The plan was developed through five iterative versions. Stakeholders unanimously endorsed a plan that included five priorities focusing on uptake of best evidence across (1) national PT governance groups and (2) within individual PT programs; (3) partnering with people living with pain in pain education; (4) advocacy for the PT role in pain management; and (5) advancing pain education research.Conclusion This plan is expected to help Canadian stakeholders work toward national improvements in PT pain education and to serve as a useful template for informing collaboration on entry-level pain education within other professions and across different geographic regions.

ABSTRACTBackground Symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis (SLSS) is the most common diagnosis associated with spine surgery for those over the age of 55 years. There is a lack of quality research on the effectiveness of prehabilitation on pain, function, and quality of life in patients undergoing surgery for SLSS. This pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) will evaluate the feasibility of an eHealth prehabilitation program for individuals undergoing SLSS surgery, and an embedded longitudinal qualitative study explores the perioperative patient experience and recovery trajectory.Methods Participants (n = 60) undergoing spine surgery for LSS will be randomized into the 8-week electronic health (eHealth) prehabilitation program or minimal intervention. The prehabilitation program will be delivered virtually using synchronous (one-on-one) and asynchronous (independent) sessions by an experienced clinician, consisting of motivational interviewing, exercise (graded activity), education, peer support groups, and a 6-week booster session. Participants in the minimal care group will receive usual care and will have access to educational videos. Primary outcomes will include (1) recruitment, (2) patient adherence, (3) acceptability of program content, (4) acceptability and compliance with study questionnaires, and (5) attrition. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline, after the intervention, and 3 and 12 months postoperatively. We will conduct semistructured interviews alongside the RCT with 12 to 15 participants.Discussion The proposed project will include the feasibility testing of an eHealth LSS prehabilitation program with potential to improve surgical outcomes. Results of this study will provide the foundation for future fully powered multicenter RCTs.Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov NCT05073081

Background: Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a major cause of disability globally. Stratified care has been proposed as a means to improve prognosis and treatment but is generally based on limited aspects of pain, including biopsychosocial drivers. Aims: Following Initiative on Methods, Measurement, and Pain Assessment in Clinical Trials (IMMPACT) recommendations, the present study explored pain phenotypes with a sample of workers with CLBP, a population for which no pain phenotypes have been derived to date. Methods: A cross-sectional design was used with a sample of 154 workers with CLBP attending a rehabilitation clinic, recruited in person and from social media. Latent class analysis was used to identify subgroups of patients with different pain profiles based on ten pain indicators (pain variability, pain intensity, pain quality, somatization, sleep quality, depression, fatigue, pain catastrophizing, neuropathic pain, and central sensitization). Results: The majority of the sample (85%) were recruited through social media. Both the two-class and three-class solutions were found to be satisfactory in distinguishing phenotypes of workers with CLBP. Three variables proved particularly important in distinguishing between the pain phenotypes—pain quality, fatigue, and central sensitization—with higher scores on these indicators associated with pain phenotypes with higher pain burden. Increased chronic pain self-efficacy, work-related support, and perceived work abilities were protective risk factors for being in a higher pain burden class. Conclusions: The present study is the first to explore IMMPACT recommendations for pain phenotyping with workers with CLBP. Future prospective research will be needed to validate the proposed pain phenotypes.

Background: Symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis (SLSS) is a condition in which narrowing of the spinal canal results in entrapment and compression of neurovascular structures. Decompressive surgery, with or without spinal fusion, is recommended for those with severe symptoms for whom conservative management has failed. However, significant persistent pain, functional limitations, and narcotic use can affect up to one third of patients postsurgery. Aims: The aim of this study will be to identify predictors of outcomes 1-year post SLSS surgery with a focus on modifiable predictors. Methods: The Canadian Spine Outcomes Research Network (CSORN) is a large database of prospectively collected data on pre- and postsurgical outcomes among surgical patients. We include participants with a primary diagnosis of SLSS undergoing their first spine surgery. Outcomes are measured at 12 months after surgery and include back and leg pain, disability (Oswestry Disability Index, ODI), walking capacity (ODI item 4), health-related quality of life, and an overall recovery composite outcome (clinically important changes in pain, disability, and quality of life). Predictors include demographics (education level, work status, marital status, age, sex, body mass index), physical activity level, smoking status, previous conservative treatments, medication intake, depression, patient expectations, and other comorbidities. A multivariate partial least squares model is used to identify predictors of outcomes. Conclusion: Study results will inform targeted SLSS interventions, either for the selection of best candidates for surgery or the identification of targets for presurgical rehabilitation programs.

O objetivo desta pesquisa foi identificar e analisar possíveis relações entre dificuldade de aprendizagem e autocuidado dentário. Sessenta alunos da 3ª e 4ª séries do ensino fundamental público foram divididos em grupos - com (grupo 1) e sem dificuldade de aprendizagem (grupo 2) - de acordo com o teste de desempenho escolar. Foi realizada, individualmente, a verificação do biofilme dental, antes e após a escovação dos dentes, e uma entrevista sobre autocuidado dentário. Os dados foram submetidos a tratamento estatístico, a análise de conteúdo dos relatos verbais e análise funcional do comportamento de escovação dentária. Verificou-se diferença significativa para o tempo de escovação - menor no grupo 1, que também relatou menos auto-regras para controle da escovação, informações menos precisas sobre cárie e mais punição pelos pais frente à esquiva ou recusa da escovação. Estudos interdisciplinares em psicologia e odontologia são desejáveis para a proposição de programas de intervenção em saúde bucal mais eficazes.