Chronic Pain Referral Criteria

• Under 17.5 years at the time of referral.
• If the patient is over 17.5 years, the referral will be denied.
• Please refer to the Young Adult Pain clinic through TAPMI. Telephone: 416-323-6269

Referrals to Chronic Pain Clinic include patients requiring treatment and management of chronic pain, residing within the SickKids catchment area and/or have coordinated multi-specialty care at SickKids, see referral criteria below.

Other Chronic Pain Centers in Ontario treating Children and Adolescents: Please consider sending your referral to other Pediatric Chronic Pain clinics listed below for shorter wait times and easier access to care for patients who live in the area.

Childrens Hospital Eastern Ontario (CHEO)

McMaster Childrens Hospital

Children’s Hospital, London Health Sciences

Northern Interdisciplinary Centre for Health Excellence (NICHE) in Pain Care Initiative:  For patients who live in Thunder Bay Region. Please contact this centre to see if they are eligible for treatment. phone 807-623-7161 or email pediatricpain@georgejeffrey.com

• Under 17.5 years at time of referral
• Chronic pain for at least 3 months duration
• Patients with pain lasting less than 3-month duration for (1) complex severe acute pain, (2) suspected neuropathic pain, (3) complex pain medication wean/titration
• Chronic pain as primary complaint
• Chronic pain impacts activities of daily living, school attendance, sleep, mood, quality of life or family functioning
• Investigations into diagnosis/cause of pain completed.
• Basic pain management has been tried in in the community (e.g., Simple analgesics, physical therapies, psychological therapies)
• Primary/referring physician agrees to collaborate in ongoing pain management (e.g. Medication prescription, ongoing follow-up, securing community providers (e.g. physical therapy, psychology)

• Major psychiatric disorder which has not been appropriately assessed or treated. The patient is not likely to benefit from our functional approach until these issues are addressed and effectively treated. Please refer patient to Psychiatry, SickKids General Pediatric Clinic - Mind Body Program, CAMH or Community Mental Health- see below for additional resources
• Headache as primary pain complaint without assessment by a neurologist. Patient must be assessed by Neurologist prior to referral to Chronic Pain Clinic
• Receipt of referral past age 17.5 years. Please refer patient to Young Adult Pain clinic through TAPMI

Please provide any applicable imaging or investigation from your current work-up:

• Diagnostic Imaging results (i.e., MRI, CT, X-rays)
  
• Lab results
• Interventions: Surgical notes, Injection reports
  
• Clinical notes: relevant consult notes and any notes from a first opinion (If this referral is for a second opinion).

Learn more about the Chronic Pain Clinic and resources to share with your patient and family on our clinic webpage. 

The Power over Pain Portal (POP Portal) is a freely available online portal that offers access to a wide range of evidence-based resources tailored for the needs of youth with chronic pain. We are looking for patients aged 12-18 years old currently on a waitlist for chronic pain assessment for an ongoing research study related to the POP Portal. If you believe your patient would be eligible, please contact us at powerover.pain@sickkids.ca

Mental Health Treatment: Consider referring the patient to the following centres for mental health support:

Gary Hurvitz Centre for Community Mental Health (CCMH):

Any professional can start the referral process if the family has consented.

Call our intake department at 416-924-1164, ext. 8708.

Physicians: If you wish to share patient/client history, please download and print the referral form for physicians. Fax the completed form to 416-373-2003, Attn: Health Records.

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH): 

Providing centralized information, intake and scheduling for most of CAMH's services, Access CAMH makes it easy for patients, families, friends, and healthcare professionals to find the help and services they need with a single phone call.

Children's Mental Health Ontario:

Through its network of child and youth mental health centres, Children's Mental Health Ontario has 4,000 child and youth mental healthcare workers across Ontario ready to help parents and their children

Connex Ontario:

Helps patients, parents, and families connect to mental health services in Ontario. Confidential. Provides system navigation and information, free and confidential service. Tel: 1-866-531-2600