“I have been so passionate about pain care across my career as a registered nurse,” says Patti Douglas. “I have seen the effects of pain on every patient interaction I have had. No matter if the person is suffering from chronic, acute, or procedural pain, it causes significant impact on daily life.”
Douglas recently stepped into a new role at IWK Health as a Clinical Implementation Specialist in Pediatric Pain Management. She brings a wealth of experience as a registered nurse, having served both at the bedside and in clinical leadership roles.
“The goal of this role is to mobilize the knowledge that we find in research into the hands of our front-line care providers,” says Douglas. “Growing up in a small province, I see the desire and need for resources to be shared and for patients to be cared for closer to their homes. I am really looking forward to building relationships and ensuring others have comfort in providing equitable care to any patient at any site they may seek care at.”
A dedicated advocate for children and families, Douglas cares for patients with compassion and expertise. Most recently, she played a key role in acquiring ChildKind certification at IWK Health and supporting the IWK’s Pain Champion group.
“Within IWK Health’s work to become Childkind certified I was able to really focus on the importance of making pain care accessible and spreading the awareness that there are ways to make pain better,” says Douglas. “Using a variety of comfort techniques allows staff to provide individualized care that meets the patient goals.”
In her new role, Patti will be working closely with the IWK’s Maritime Child Health in collaboration with Solutions for Kids in Pain (SKIP), and the Centre for Pediatric Pain Research (based in the Chambers Lab). She’ll be channeling her deep passion for improving children’s pain care into action - helping bridge the gap between research and real-world practice.
“SKIP is enabling healthcare providers, patients, and families to access information related to pain care,” says Douglas. “We are implementing the National Pediatric Pain Standard from the Health Standards Organization (HSO) in health institutions across the Maritimes with this partnership with Maritime Child Health. This is the first pediatric healthcare standard of its kind and will lead to improving care for all.”
Patti will help advance pediatric pain management across the Maritimes through collaboration and coordination with healthcare professionals and community partners.
“One of the most important values IWK holds is being a community,” says Douglas. “Everyone here has a willingness to work together and adapt to help our patients. No matter my position I have always felt such support from colleagues and leadership.”