Women report more chronic pain than men and are more likely to be prescribed, and rely on prescribed opioids, to help address chronic pain. For several decades, women’s health advocates have voiced concerns with prescribing opioids to women with chronic pain. However, educational materials intended to support change or improve patterns of care and prescribing have lacked integration of women’s experience and perspectives.
The goal of the Women’s Chronic Pain and Prescription Opioid Project is to create sex, gender, equity, and trauma informed resources for providers that reflect women’s lived and living experiences with chronic pain and prescription opioids. We will interview and consult with women who have used prescription opioids for chronic pain, in order to embed women’s experiences, opinions and recommendations into resource development for health care providers and educators, researchers, health system planners, and other women.
In addition, this project will augment the recently released Canadian Pain Task Force Report and Action Plan for Pain in Canada, with sex- and gender-based analysis plus (SGBA+) and equity-related information, analysis, and direction. It will engage health care providers and health educators, health system planners, researchers, and women with lived and living experience, to highlight what is known and what could be done in Canada, to reach the Action Plan goals.
Key Resources:
CEWH acknowledges the financial support of Health Canada’s Substance Use and Addictions Program.
