Kathy (Harris) Reid an authority in pain management for children
EDMONTON—Kathy Reid has been very busy since graduating from Manitoulin Secondary School in 1979, graduating from Queens University in 1983 and going on to become a nurse practioner in Alberta, and this summer the daughter of Stu and the late Betty Harris of Little Current was honoured as one of the Canadian Nurses Association’s (CNA) 150 Nurses for Canada.
The 150 Nurses for Canada award was established by the CNA to mark the 150th anniversary of Confederation, recognizing those “who continue to pioneer health innovation in Canada and around the world.”
“I feel very honoured,” said Ms. Reid when contacted in her Edmonton home.
Ms. Reid was being lauded with the recognition for her work in greatly enhancing the care of Canadian youth who have chronic pain and she is known internationally for her “cutting edge work.”
Chronic pain amongst youth is not an intuitive concept, but it is actually far more common than might be expected. “Depending on the statistics, if may actually be as high as one in five.” Not all sufferers are disabled by their pain, but for many it can have a debilitating impact on their lives. “About three to five percent it does,” she said. “Among adults it is about one in five.”
Ms. Reid has been working at the Pediatric Chronic Pain program at Stollery Children’s Hospital since 2008. Her work with teenagers led her to develop the unique Chronic Pain 35 program, the first of its kind in Canada. Chronic Pain 35 integrates teen’s attendance at group cognitive therapy with high school credits.
“I have been doing this for about 10 years,” she said.
The Chronic Pain program, essentially Pain 101, consists of 11 classes of learning based on cognitive therapy. “It teaches them how to manage their pain,” said Ms. Reid. She works on the program together with a psychotherapist and they have had tremendous success in assisting youth with reducing the stress and anxiety that can accompany chronic pain.
In a world beset with opioid crisis, those coping skills can play a tremendous role in reducing dependence on medication.
Through the Chronic Pain 35 program, students can now obtain three high school credits, a big boost to getting them back on track to completing their high school education and moving on with their lives. It has been a resounding success.
“So far we have been very successful, over 40 teenagers have completed the program,” said Ms. Reid. Chronic pain can wreak havoc with a young person’s education. Imagine how hard it is to concentrate on your school work when you are in constant pain.
Managing expectations is another important aspect of pain management. “Teenagers have a tendency to ‘go hard’ when they are undertaking an activity,” said Ms. Reid. “It is important to get them doing something they like to do, but to not overdo it, to accept that they have limits.”
Ms. Reid has also authored or co-authored four books as well as an e-book for families whose children have chronic pain.
