Managing Pain Before and After Surgery

Pain after surgery is common and usually managed with medications. Evidence shows that learning about pain before their operation helps people undergoing surgery to set realistic expectations about pain, use prescribed medications safely, and improves their well-being and comfort.

Managing Pain Before and After Surgery is a free self-paced online program designed to help people undergoing surgery and their families better manage pain after surgery and decrease complications.

The brief course is made up of three modules:

• Module one: Preparing for surgery
• Module two: Pain after surgery
• Module three: For people experiencing chronic pain prior to their surgery

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Take the course and join our study!

Pain Canada has partnered with ManagingLife to launch the Preoperative Education Initiative: A Prospective Observational Study. This research study explores how our education program can impact participants’ pain management before and after surgery. The main goal is to see how our education program changes how much pain medicine you need and how it affects things like anxiety, confidence in managing pain, the level of pain you feel, and how pain affects your daily life. You will provide this data through the Manage My Pain (MMP) app.

After reading the informed consent document, which provides detailed information about the research study, we invite you to click on the button below if you want to participate. You will then be asked to provide additional information through the app and will get instruction about how to access the app. Only de-identified data you provide to the app will be shared with the research team.

Participating in this study is completely voluntary and will not affect the care your doctor provides to you.

By clicking on the button below, you acknowledge that you have read and agree with the terms of the informed consent document.

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Pain Canada also has a pre-surgical pain course for health care providers

In addition to this course for people awaiting surgery, we also offer a concise, evidence-based course to support health care providers to build skills and knowledge about pain in the peri-operative context. Chronic Pain Insights is a free online course that covers clinically relevant strategies for managing pain before and after surgery, with an emphasis on self- management strategies patients can use before and after surgery. Learn more.

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Subject matter experts

Dora (Thea) Wang. HBSc Candidate, University of Toronto. Patient Partner, Patient Voices Network

Anna Lomanowska, PhD. Scientific Associate. Transitional Pain Service, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network

Alyssa Hodgson MA, MD, FRCPC (Anesthesiology). Clinical Instructor, UBC Faculty of Medicine

Hance Clarke MD PhD. Director, Transitional Pain Service, Toronto General Hospital. Staff Anesthesiologist, UHN. President, Canadian Pain Society

Tania Di Renna MD, FRCPC. Medical Director, Toronto Academic Pain Medicine Institute. Associate Professor, University of Toronto Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine. President elect, Canadian Pain Society

PJ Matras, RN, MN, Clinical Nurse Specialist Pain Management, PHC

Brenda Poulton RN, MN, (retired NP), Co-Director BC Adaptive Mentorship Network, FH Clinical Lead RAC for Low Back Pain Pilot

Robert Beringer DSocSci, Assistant Professor, School of Public Health and Social Policy, Faculty of Human and Social Development; University of Victoria. Research Fellow, Institute on Aging and Lifelong Health

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