Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) grant awarded to Dr. Andrea Darzi for e-Chronic Pain RecMap project

The Department of Anesthesia is delighted to announce that Andrea Darzi, Assistant Professor in the Departments of Anesthesia and Health Research Methods Evidence and Impact (HEI), has been awarded a $750,000 grant from the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) to develop a freely accessible digital Chronic Pain Recommendation Map (e-Chronic Pain RecMap) on three priority areas: opioids, cannabis for medical purposes, and interventional procedures for chronic pain. This initiative aims to present consolidated and pre-appraised recommendations in these areas to facilitate access and use of high-quality guidelines for decision making.

Darzi is supported by co-principal investigators Professors Jason Busse, Holger Schünemann, Peter Tugwell and Gordon Guyatt, Associate Professor Stacey Ritz, Drs. Firas Ahmad Khaled and Jaris Swidrovich, and patient partner Ms. Lynn Cooper, along with a dedicated study team and 29 national and international organizations.

“20% of people are affected by chronic pain, including children, however, the pursuit of evidence-based care is complicated due to the presence of hundreds of guidelines of variable quality often providing inconsistent recommendations” notes Darzi, nominated principal investigator (NPI) of the study.

The e-Chronic RecMap will present consolidated and pre-appraised guideline recommendations in these select areas to support optimal management for people living with chronic pain. This digital and freely accessible platform of recommendations will be easy to navigate with intuitive functionalities. Our goal is to enhance transparency, recognition, and promotion of trustworthy evidence for chronic pain patients, and accountability among decision makers. The RecMap will include plain language recommendations and tools (e.g., decision aids) to support shared decision-making and encourage consideration of patient’s values and preferences.

“My hope is that the development and dissemination of this RecMap, will help users identify trustworthy recommendations to better align clinical care with current best evidence.” Notes Darzi.

Click here to learn more about this project and team.