Occurrence of and referral to specialists for pain-related diagnoses in First Nations and non–First Nations children and youth

Towards health equity for people experiencing chronic pain and social marginalization

“…Because equity requires care according to need, then, for example, racialized newcomers with limited official language skills would be accorded the support required to navigate pain care systems. Because cultural safety requires addressing racism, the pernicious stereotypes directed toward Indigenous people that deter health care access and quality [56][57][58][59] would be explicitly addressed in relation to chronic pain. Cultural safety is also a framework adapted to LGBTQ2S health [60] as well as to people who use drugs [61][62][63], among others.…”

Towards Health Equity for People Experiencing Chronic Pain and Social Marginalization

“…Because equity requires care according to need, then, for example, racialized newcomers with limited o cial language skills would be accorded the support required to navigate pain care systems. Because cultural safety requires addressing racism, the pernicious stereotypes directed toward Indigenous people that deter health care access and quality (43)(44)(45)(46) would be explicitly addressed in relation to chronic pain. Cultural safety is also a framework adapted to LGBTQ2S health (47) as well as to people who use drugs (48)(49)(50), among others.…”

Co‐creating better healthcare experiences for First Nations children and youth: The FIRST approach emerges from Two‐Eyed seeing

“…Our aims of this study were to gather the healthcare experiences, pain perspectives, and the strategies to improve the healthcare encounter for First Nations children and youth and health providers from four First Nations communities. This study was part of a larger study that gathered knowledge related to Indigenous youth expression of pain through art 6 and healthcare utilization data identifying childhood pain diagnoses, occurrence, and referral rates 10 . All three components of the study were completed in the same geographic region served by a pediatric health center in Eastern Canada.…”

“…8 This is especially problematic when you consider the high rates of multiple, co-existing pain conditions experienced by Indigenous people in Canada. 9,10 Community-led research has shown that First Nations community members, including youth, have reported that it is their perception that they wait longer than others in emergency room situations, make repeat trips for the same issues, and do not get referred for specialized health treatment. 6,10,11 Higher rates of adverse health outcomes and lower rates of referral to specialist care are compounded by the fact that primary care focuses on episodic and acute care management rather than chronic disease care.…”

“…9,10 Community-led research has shown that First Nations community members, including youth, have reported that it is their perception that they wait longer than others in emergency room situations, make repeat trips for the same issues, and do not get referred for specialized health treatment. 6,10,11 Higher rates of adverse health outcomes and lower rates of referral to specialist care are compounded by the fact that primary care focuses on episodic and acute care management rather than chronic disease care. 4 Improvements to primary health care are imperative for First Nations community members where services are under-funded and coordination between primary health and provincially funded hospital and specialty care may be poor.…”