• Access to healthcare, as conceptualized by Levesque's model, encompasses not only the availability and affordability of services but also emphasizes the individual's ability to perceive, seek, reach, and ultimately utilize healthcare resources, highlighting the multifaceted nature of healthcare access.

• One in Five Canadians do not have access to a family physician, a statistic that has continued to worsen over the last several years

• In this study, family physicians were the most common health care provider being accessed for low back pain (84.9%), followed by chiropractor (71.4%), physiotherapist (68.5%) and massage therapist (67.4%). *there was a significant difference of these services being accessed between urban and rural residents

• Through a World Café facilitated discussion, 55 multi-stakeholder participants (including facilitators) discussed ways to improve access to physiotherapy services in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities in Saskatchewan. Access the publication here: Community Engagement Integral to Reimagining Rural and Remote Physiotherapy in Saskatchewan

• Chronic low back pain is a complex health condition that leaves many individuals unsure of where to seek care or find self-management strategies.

• Our research team found that patient challenges with the health care system included system navigation, perceived lack of a diagnosis and management plan, not feeling believed, ineffective treatment, and lack of options for non-pharmacological care.

• SaskPain is a website that promotes improved understanding of pain, Saskatchewan-based pain research, and clinical practice improvements that impact people living with pain. Check out their website and the Chronic Pain Pathway for resources and supports, such as:
  • Find a physiotherapist
  • Navigator tool for self-management and preparing for healthcare provider visits

Chronic low back pain is complex, multi-faceted and can require significant time, engagement, and different types of specialized knowledge to create proper optimal patient-centered management plans

Considering that there are multiple domains driving pain and disability, and their interaction, a model of care that is comprehensive enough to identify and address each related issue is needed. The following publication proposes such a model, demonstrating the complexity of care needed.

“Indigenous peoples often find it difficult to access appropriate mainstream primary health care services. Securing access to primary health care services requires more than just services that are situated within easy reach. Ensuring the accessibility of health care for Indigenous peoples who are often faced with a vast array of additional barriers including experiences of discrimination and racism, can be complex.”

• Healthcare providers play a crucial role in improving access to care for patients with chronic low back pain, but they face numerous challenges in doing so. Our team conducted a study focusing on healthcare provider perspectives of chronic low back pain healthcare access.

• One solution suggested by healthcare providers was to expand access to multidisciplinary care or team-based care, which is a direction also recommended by the Saskatchewan Health Authority, Health Quality Council, Government of Saskatchewan, Canadian Medical Association, among others. The problem of healthcare fragmentation and the need for transformation to multidisciplinary care has been known for many years; however, the transformation required to implement these changes is complex.

• Our research has looked at patient and healthcare provider perspectives and experiences across Saskatchewan. We have learned what is working and what is not working, as well as recommendations on improving access to healthcare for people living with chronic low back pain.