eConsult and eReferral Supporting the Chronic Pain Pathway

One in five Canadians suffer from chronic pain¹. Wait times for multidisciplinary chronic pain clinics are extremely long, ranging from 6 months to 5 years^2,3

The benefits of the Ontario eServices Program include:​

• Administrative ​Time Savings​
• Improved Clinician Experience​
• Improved Patient Experience​

The Ontario eServices Program delivers digital services that:​​

• support clinical workflows​
• facilitate smoother transitions in care​

From October 2021 to September 2022 430 eReferrals and 556 eConsults related to chronic pain in Ontario were processed​.

Of the 430 chronic pain eReferrals:​ There were 409 unique patients. The referrals were sent by 191 unique senders to 16 different receiving sites across the province​

Of the 556 eConsults closed:​

• 27 specialists responded to 406 clinicians​
• Median time spent and response interval were 25 minutes & 1.3 days​
• 61% were resolved without requiring a face- to-face referral ​

[The specialist] provided the eConsult in a timely manner. He offered an option for pain management that I believe will benefit my client. I am thankful for the expertise he provided to help me continue to manage this client in the community

eConsult User

I liked how I got an email informing me that a referral has been received and an appointment would be made shortly. And I appreciate how quickly the appt was provided

eReferral Patient​

1. Schopflocher D, Taenzer P, Jovey R. The prevalence of chronic pain in Canada. Pain Res Manag 2011;16:445–45
2. Lynch ME, Campbell F, Clark AJ, Dunbar MJ, Goldstein D, Peng P, Stinson J,Tupper H. A systematic review of the effect of waiting for treatment for chronicpain. Pain 2008;136:97–116.
3. Peng P, Choiniere M, Dion D, Intrater H, Lefort S, Lynch M, Ong M, Rashiq S,Tkachuk G, Veillette Y. STOPPAIN Investigators Group. Challenges in acces-sing multidisciplinary pain treatment facilities in Canada. Can J Anaesth2007;54:977–84.[9]