1- Introduction
2- Methodology
3- Results
4- Discussion
5- Conclusion
References
Introduction
Chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) has become a serious public health issue affecting more than 70 million people, globally [1]. It can have a multitude of causes and produces a wide variety of disabilities [2]. Several studies have shown substantial variability in the way clinicians approach and treat CNCP [3–5]. However, pain management practice guidelines have been developed and disseminated [2, 6–8] that recommend meeting pain-related health-care needs through accessing specialized pain clinics. Although a substantial proportion of the global CNCP population has pain-related health-care needs met through accessing specialized pain clinics [9], little or no information exists on the experience and perception of clinicians in those clinics with respect to the factors that impede their specialty practices. Despite the fact that research and clinical studies conducted in many countries on all aspects of pain services have been published, factors affecting the output or functioning of the pain management services remain poorly described and understood [10]. Furthermore, published studies have not explored how barriers can emerge from the interaction between the specialized clinical training of the clinicians, often received elsewhere, and the local institutional settings where they practice [11–13]. Pain specialists working in clinics providing CNCP services are uniquely poised to serve as key informants on these issues. We have implemented a pragmatic qualitative descriptive approach to gain insight into work demands in clinical areas and levels of accountability surrounding pain management. .is report is part of a larger study that aimed to compare and characterize the experience and perspectives of pain specialists practicing in the three cities. .is report focuses on barriers that they faced in delivering clinical services for people living with CNCP.