We speak with Dr. Hance Clarke of the Rouge Valley Hyperbaric Medical Centre who tells us about the purpose of the clinic and why he got into medicine and in particular pain medicine.

The Opioid Crisis: A View from the Frontline

Dr. Clarke has been recognized nationally and internationally for his research productivity and improvements to patient care such as the development of his novel Transitional Pain Program. His research interests include identifying novel acute pain treatments following major surgery, identifying the factors involved in the transition of acute postsurgical pain to chronic pain and identifying risk factors associated with continued opioid use and poor health related quality of life after major surgery. 

UofT Talks discussed the history of the opioid crisis, its current impact, and the steps we can take to address the epidemic in Canada.  It featured Nicole Ireland, a reporter and writer with CBC news, Matt Johnson, a harm reduction coordinator at Queen West Community Health Centre, Dr. Hance Clarke, Director of Pain Services at UofT, and Dr. David Juurlink, a Professor of Medicine at UofT.

Study Shows Pain Program Helpful In Kicking Opioids

"The assumption is that all patients after surgery are fine with their opioid use, but we have found that in a high-risk segment of patients, that is not the case. We need better ways of identifying these patients, and then helping those who are having difficulty in reducing or eliminating their opioid use... there is a powerful role for interventions other than opioids in helping patients manage their pain and suffering, taper their opioids and lead rich, meaningful lives. Our program is a good blueprint that we can use not only for surgical patients, but for anyone else dealing with an opioid addiction." Dr. Hance Clarke

Cannabis Use in Cancer Care - Dr. Hance Clarke @ National Cancer Survivors Day 2017

Webinar Series: Anticipating and Managing Post-Op Pain by Dr Hance Clark, Toronto General Hospital, Jan 18, 2016

Brought to you by the Specialist Services Committee (www.sscbc.ca), the BC Enhanced Recovery Collaborative (www.enhancedrecoverybc.ca), and Pain BC (www.painbc.ca).

Transitional Pain Program - Expert Quote - Dr. Hance Clarke

A world-first transitional pain program that aims to stop pain from becoming chronic after surgery is being pioneered at Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network. 

The one-year pilot program is designed to treat complex pain patients who have had surgery by helping with pain control, monitoring and weaning patients off excessive amounts of opioid medications for pain, and providing much-needed support for patients after they are discharged from the hospital. Follow-up care is provided by a diverse team of clinicians who specialize in pain control. Program specialists are not aware of any other such program in scientific publications.   

Poorly controlled postsurgical pain is a risk factor for hospital re-admission and increased use of health care resources.
The program, which began in June 2014, also hopes to answer compelling questions of which risk factors cause chronic pain, what works best to stop or modify the “pain pathway” for patients, and how interventions can prevent hospital re-admissions of complex patients after surgery.

“We want to break the cycle of pain with multiple pain strategies,” says Dr. Hance Clarke, Medical Director of the Pain Research Unit and Director of The Transitional Pain Service in the Anesthesia Department and Pain Management at Toronto General Hospital (TGH). He adds that after about three months, post-surgical pain can develop into chronic pain, therefore it is important to intervene before this happens. As many as 30% of surgical patients develop chronic pain after surgery, and are at an increased risk for long-term opioid use. 50% of patients after major surgery are discharged from hospital with a prescription for opioids.

Sat, Feb 15: Doctors found about three per cent of the patients were still taking the meds three months after surgery. That sounds like a small number until you consider how many surgeries are performed each year. Jennifer Tryon reports. For more info, please go to http://www.globalnews.ca