Quebec Pain Registry

The Quebec Pain Registry is an administrative and research database which provides standardized data on a large cohort of chronic pain patients who are described using a set of common demographic and clinical measures based on uniform and validated measurement tools. This unique database, unlike any other in the world, will allow researchers to better understand chronic pain, to improve pain management and treatment. It was conceived in 2007 as a strategic initiative of the Quebec Pain Research Network.

Mission

Establishing a provincial chronic pain research infrastructure to facilitate large-scale epidemiological, observational, and clinical studies, including randomized clinical trials, was part of the Pain Network’s strategic plan.

OBJECTIves

This clinical registry records the sociodemographic and diagnostic information of patients who consult at specialized chronic pain management clinics.

This project follows up on the Quebec Ministry of Health’s desire to:

  1. monitor the clinical results of the established Pain Expertise Centers in Quebec;
  2. obtain relevant administrative statistics on their operation.

In order to achieve the objectives set by these two organizations, it was essential to establish a registry of patients with chronic pain that uses identical clinical descriptors, uniform measures, and common, validated, and standardized measurement tools.

Number of patients enrolled in the Registry: 9363

The Quebec Pain Registry is the foundation of a province wide clinical infrastructure and is available on a cost recovery model to:

  • Facilitate and stimulate clinical pain research for both academia and industry
  • Provide standardized data on a large cohort of patients with chronic non-cancer pain
  • Provide accelerated access to well-characterized datasets for multisite clinical trials
  • Provide a greater understanding of the impact of chronic pain on society

RESEARCH TEAM

Manon Choinière PhD, Director
Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal.
Dr Choinière is the Director of Pain Research Group of the Centre de recherche du Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CRCHUM) and the Chair of the Research Committee of the Pain Centre of Expertise of the University of Montreal. Dr Choinière’s primary research interests include:

  1. evaluation of the bio-psycho-social consequences and impact of acute and chronic pain,
  2. epidemiological/observational study on the quality of analgesic practices and health care resources for pain,
  3. risk factors of chronic pain after surgery and
  4. implementation and assessment of effective knowledge transfer strategies in the field of pain.Her research is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Fonds de recherche en santé du Québec (FRSQ) and CHUM Foundation as well as grants from pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer Canada Inc., AstraZeneca, and Janssen Inc.

Mark A. Ware MBBS MRCP(UK) MSc, Director
Associate Professor in Family Medicine and Anesthesia, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University..
Dr Ware is the Director of Clinical Research of the Alan Edwards Pain Management Unit at the McGill University Health Centre. Dr Ware’s primary research interests are:

  • evaluating the safety and effectiveness of medicines derived from cannabis (cannabinoids),
  • population-based studies of the impact of pain on the population, and
  • complementary therapies in pain and symptom management.

His research is funded by the FRSQ,CIHR, and Alan and Louise Edwards Foundation as well as grants from pharmaceutical companies such as AstraZeneca, Pfizer Canada Inc. and Valeant Inc.

VARIABLE OUTCOMES

The following is a list of variable outcomes:

  • Pain characteristics (duration, frequency, intensity, etc) and impact on various aspects of daily living including sleep
  • Specific pain diagnosis established by pain clinicians
  • Psychological well-being (depression, suicide ideation) and pain catastrophizing tendency
  • Health-related quality of life
  • Medical history + consumption habits (cigarettes, alcohol, drug)
  • Past and current pain treatment (pharmacological and non-pharmacological)
  • Patient expectations re: pain treatment
  • Patient global impression of change re: pain, functioning and quality of life, and treatment satisfaction
  • Socio-demographics

PARTICIPATING CLINICS

Université de Montréal – Clinique de la douleur de l’hôpital Hôtel-Dieu du CHUM
(November 2008 )
CHUM Hôtel-Dieu
3840, rue St-Urbain
Montréal, Québec, Canada
H2W 1T8
Tél: 514 890-8000, ext. 14240
» link to CHUM pain clinic

Université de Sherbrooke – Clinique multidisciplinaire de douleur
(January 2009 )
Hôpital Fleurimont – CHUS
3001, 12ème avenue nord, local 8501
Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada
J1H 5N4
Tel: 819 820-6868, ext. 15034
» link to CHUS pain clinic

McGill University Health Center – Alan Edwards Pain Management Clinic
( Mars 2009 )
Site de l’hôpital général de Montréal
1650 avenue Cedar
Local E19-128
Montréal, Québec, Canada
H3G 1A4
Tél: 514 934-8222
Fax: 514 934-8096
» link to McGill pain clinic

Université Laval – Clinique de la douleur du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, Pavillon CHUL
( Juillet 2012 )
2705, boulevard Laurier
Québec, Québec, Canada
G1V 4G2
Tel: 418 654‐2707, ext. 2220
» link to CHUQ pain clinic

Université Laval – Clinique de la douleur du Centre hospitalier affilié universitaire de Hôtel-Dieu de Lévis
( Juillet 2012 )
143, rue Wolfe
Lévis, Québec, Canada
G6V 3Z1
Tel: 418 835-7135
» link to Hôtel-Dieu de Lévis pain clinic

Recent discoveries with Quebec Pain Registry data

  • Analgesic drug usage is associated with differential methylation in lower back and neuropathic pain patients in the Quebec pain registry. Ao et al., 2026 Read more.
  • Pharmacological treatments of neuropathic pain: real-life comparisons using propensity score matching. Moisset et al., 2022 Read more »
  • Characteristics of Persons Seeking Care for Moderate to Severe Pain Due to Chronic Low Back Pain and Osteoarthritis: A Cross-Sectional Study. Pagé et al., 2022 Read more »
  • Opioid Doctor Shopping: A Rare Phenomenon Among Patients with Chronic Non-Cancer Pain Followed in Tertiary Care Settings. Kaboré et al., 2021 Read more »
  • Biopsychosocial characteristics of patients with chronic pain expecting different levels of pain relief in the context of multidisciplinary treatments. Cormier et Lévesque-Lacasse, 2021 Read more »
  • The association between waiting time and multidisciplinary pain treatment outcomes in patients with rheumatic conditions. Deslauriers et al., 2020 Read more »
  • Creation and validation of the 4-item BriefPCS-chronic through methodological triangulation. Walton et al., 2020 Read more »
  • Predictors of Long-Term Opioid Effectiveness in Patients With Chronic Non-Cancer Pain Attending Multidisciplinary Pain Treatment Clinics: A Quebec Pain Registry Study. Kaboré et al., 2020 Read more »
  • Factors associated with waiting times for persons with rheumatic conditions in multidisciplinary pain treatment facilities. Deslauriers et al., 2019 Read more »
  • Examination of the Course of Low Back Pain Intensity Based on Baseline Predictors and Health Care Utilization Among Patients Treated in Multidisciplinary Pain Clinics: A Quebec Pain Registry Study. Pagé et al., 2019 Read more »
  • As if one pain problem was not enough: prevalence and patterns of coexisting chronic pain conditions and their impact on treatment outcomes. Pagé et al., 2018 Read more »
  • Effectiveness of long-term opioid therapy among chronic non-cancer pain patients attending multidisciplinary pain treatment clinics. Saïdi et al., 2018 Read more »
  • Predicting treatment outcomes of pain patients attending tertiary multidisciplinary pain treatment centers: A pain trajectory approach. Pagé et al., 2017 Read more »
  • Comparison of retrolaminar paravertebral infiltration of a non-steroid mixture with conventional epidural steroid infiltration in patients suffering from chronic radicular pain – a retrospective study. Abdolmohammadi et al., 2017 Read more »
  • The Quebec Pain Registry: Development and Implementation of a Registry of Patients Attending Multidisciplinary Pain Treatment Clinics: The Quebec Pain Registry. Choiniere et al., 2017 Read more »
  • Risk of Opioid Abuse and Biopsychosocial Characteristics Associated With This Risk Among Chronic Pain Patients Attending a Multidisciplinary Pain Treatment Facility. Pagé et al., 2016 Read more »
  • Accuracy of Self-reported Prescribed Analgesic Medication Use: Linkage Between the Quebec Pain Registry and the Quebec Administrative Prescription Claims Databases. Lacasse et al., 2016 Read more »
  • Expectations Predict Chronic Pain Treatment Outcomes. Cormier et al., 2016 Read more »
  • A Rasch analysis of the Brief Pain Inventory Interference subscale reveals three dimensions and an age bias Walton et al., 2016 Read more »
  • Confirmatory factor analysis of 2 versions of the Brief Pain Inventory in an ambulatory population indicates that sleep interference should be interpreted separately. Walton et al., 2016 Read more »
  • Is the Quebec provincial administrative database a valid source for research on chronic non-cancer pain? Lacasse et al., 2015 Read more »
  • Pregabalin for chronic pain: does one medication fit all? Giladi et al., 2015 Read more »
  • Rates and Correlates of Unemployment Across Four Common Chronic Pain Diagnostic Categories. Giladi et al., 2015 Read more »
  • Anger differentially mediates the relationship between perceived injustice and chronic pain outcomes. Scott et al., 2013 Read more »

DATA INFORMATION AND ACCESS

Make sure you understand the terms and conditions of data access as you will be asked to agree to these conditions in order to submit.

To submit your request, download and complete this form and contact us at info@qprn.ca

Once the initial request is submitted and verified (Phase 1), you will be sent a first email with instructions to login the Quebec Pain Registry intranet.
This will allow you to access the Variables Selection Form (Phase 2).
Then, the review process will take place.
Please contact the Quebec Pain Registry scientific committee if you have any questions: info@qprn.ca

Contact
Quebec Pain Research Network
Université de Sherbrooke
3001, 12e avenue Nord. Sherbrooke
(Qc), J1H5N4.
Tel: 819 821-8000 ext. 73456
Courriel: info@qprn.ca
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