Actively Recruiting
Evaluating a Virtual Stepped Care Portal in Youth Awaiting Tertiary Chronic Pain Care: An Implementation-Effectiveness Hybrid Type III Study
Led by The Hospital for Sick Children · Updated on 2025-07-04
93
Participants Needed
11
Research Sites
108 weeks
Total Duration
On this page
Sponsors
T
The Hospital for Sick Children
Lead Sponsor
U
University of Calgary
Collaborating Sponsor
AI-Summary
What this Trial Is About
Pain is one of the most common symptoms of extreme stress in youth. Without treatment, short-term pain can last for months to years (called 'chronic pain'; CP), a problem already affecting 1 in 5 Canadian youth. The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the greatest threats to youth mental health seen in generations. CP in childhood can trigger a wave of mental health issues that last well into adulthood. In 2019, we learned that "access to pain care" is poor and a priority for youth with CP and their families. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has only made access more difficult. In 2020, we created an online "stepped care" program called the Power over Pain Portal for youth with CP. Stepped care is a promising way to improve access to CP care by tailoring care based on the symptoms each youth is experiencing. Like a ladder, youth start with one type of care and then "step up" or "step down" to more or less intense care depending on what they need. Over the past year, funded by CIHR, we worked with hundreds of youth and healthcare professionals across Canada to understand how the pandemic has affected pain and mental health. We also summarized all online pain self-management programs including peer support for youth to find the best resources to include in the Portal and will translate the portal content into French. Together with a diverse group of youth with CP, we have now co-designed the online Portal. The next step (focus of this grant) is to test the Portal with youth to ensure it can be implemented and is helpful. We will recruit 93 youth with CP waiting for specialist care at 11 CP clinics across Canada to use the Portal for 4 months. We will see how they use the Portal and if it helps to improve their pain and mental health. This study is important because it will allow us to understand how the Portal works in the real world before wide public release (English and French) to support all youth in Canada with CP with accessible, evidence-based pain care.
CONDITIONS
Official Title
Evaluating a Virtual Stepped Care Portal in Youth Awaiting Tertiary Chronic Pain Care: An Implementation-Effectiveness Hybrid Type III Study
Who Can Participate
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
- Experience chronic pain
- Speak and read English or French
- Have access to internet or smartphone (or willing to use a study phone with data plan)
- Are on the waitlist of a tertiary care chronic pain clinic in Canada
- Intend to use the Power over Pain Portal for at least 4 months
- Have the capacity to consent
You will not qualify if you...
- Have moderate to severe cognitive impairments affecting portal use or outcome reporting
- Have untreated major psychiatric illness (e.g., anorexia, psychosis) or active suicidality as assessed by the portal
- Youth with treated clinically significant anxiety or depression may participate if other criteria are met
AI-Screening
AI-Powered Screening
Complete this quick 3-step screening to check your eligibility
Trial Site Locations
Total: 11 locations
1
IWK Health Center
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Not Yet Recruiting
2
McMaster Children's Hospital
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, L8S 4K1
Actively Recruiting
3
Children's Hospital London Health Sciences
London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 5W9
Not Yet Recruiting
4
Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO)
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Not Yet Recruiting
5
Hospital for Sick Children
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5G 1X8
Actively Recruiting
6
CHU Sainte-Justine
Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3T 1C5
Not Yet Recruiting
7
Jim Pattison
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Not Yet Recruiting
8
Alberta Children's Hospital
Calgary, Canada
Not Yet Recruiting
9
Stollery Children's Hospital
Edmonton, Canada
Not Yet Recruiting
10
Montreal Children's Hospital
Montreal, Canada
Not Yet Recruiting
11
BC Children's Hospital
Vancouver, Canada
Not Yet Recruiting
Research Team
J
Jennifer N Stinson, RN, PhD
CONTACT
C
Chitra Lalloo, PhD
CONTACT
How is the study designed?
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Masking
NONE
Allocation
NA
Model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary Purpose
TREATMENT
Number of Arms
1
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