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Your Source for Opioid Education and Tools
The data and trends illustrating the impact of opioids on the United States and our communities are staggering. From rural to urban settings, communities are witnessing the growing and deadly impact of opioids. But health care providers at times feel caught between prescribing guidelines and patients’ needs. Taking Action: How will education address the problem? Education is the foundation of change. Education beyond the headlines that not only raises awareness about the opioid epidemic, but also provides strategies for changes in practice and process that will mobilize the HCP workforce. Education provides an opportunity to help HCPs better understand the biologic underpinnings of pain pathways so that their decision-making is focused on treatment alternatives that are targeted, effective, and safe. And finally, education to the patient so that they understand their treatment—the why and the how—so that they understand what to expect, and if prescribed an opioid, how to safely dispose of unused medication to ensure it is not illegally diverted, and prepare them to help if a loved one is struggling with addiction or take action in case of an overdose.
Putting Pressure on Opioid Prescribing: Novel Approaches to Pain Management
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Opioids continue to impact all corners of the United States and its communities, a burden that continues to grow at a rapid pace. The current opioid crisis is incredibly challenging for both patients and health care providers (HCPs). There has been a 30% increase in overdoses among men and a 24% increase among women, with all ages affected. While changing these current trends is important, it cannot be accomplished by policy changes alone. There is no one size fits all model for communities to address this crisis. |
Time To Listen: What The Experts Have To Say About Safe Opioid Prescribing And Addiction Treatment
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This CME Outfitters activity features insight from this panel of experts on the challenges, consequences, and opportunities for the development of education to help meet the pain management needs of patients amid rising concerns of addiction and diversion. |
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The conclusion of this 3-part series features expert faculty focusing on a collaborative patient-centered approach in order to guide optimal pain management, which includes applying an evidence-based approach to chronic pain management and improving prescribing practices through pharmacovigilance. |
Addressing the Opioid Epidemic: New Approaches to Safe and Effective Pain Management
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In part 2 of this 3-part series, expert faculty focus on the four-step approach that follows the SOAP (Subjective-Objective-Assessment-Plan) approach to pain management, as well as principles of communication with patients experiencing pain in order to help clinicians appropriately prescribe the best therapy for pain management in each patient. |
Addressing the Opioid Epidemic: Reducing the Burden of Pain in a Changing Treatment Landscape
Developing actionable steps to promote appropriate prescribing for individuals with acute and chronic pain is imperative to curbing the impact of the growing opioid crisis facing our communities.
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Addressing the Opioid Epidemic: A Call to Action to Save Our Communities
Join Dr. Gold and Dr. Stanos in augmented reality illustration of pain management strategies to optimize safe and responsible management of acute and chronic pain.
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Understanding the Big Picture of Pain and Pain Assessment
The key to pain management is helping patients function better so that they can return to doing the things they enjoy. In this CME Snack, expert faculty discuss pain assessment tools and risk stratification so that clinicians can work together with patients to restore function and improve quality of life.
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Providing the Right Expectations: Understanding the Pathophysiology of Pain
Evaluating patients with chronic pain can be a daunting task, as the nervous system is complex and knowing which type of pain the patient is experiencing – neuropathic, nociceptive, or nociplastic – is the best guide for where clinicians should focus their treatment decisions. In this CME Snack on understanding and treating pain, expert faculty focus on the pathophysiology of pain and the underlying mechanisms to assessment and appropriate management.
The Role that Gender Plays in Pain Perception, Treatment, and Addiction
Gender plays an important role in pain, pain reception, and opioid use. In this CME Snack, expert faculty discuss how gender and sexual trauma and/or abuse affects a patient’s proclivity to substance abuse disorders.
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Shifting Perspectives on Pain Management in Oral Surgery
In a survey of 1,015,116 opioid naïve patients undergoing surgery, total duration of opioid use was the strongest predictor of misuse and the greatest risk for individuals in the 15-24 age group. Young people aged 15-24 often get their first exposure to opioids with dental surgery. In a survey of randomly selected oral surgeons conducted by Dr. Abubaker and colleagues, the average number of opioid tablets prescribed was 20, with 22% prescribing more than 20 tablets, and 11% prescribing more than 30 tablets. These risk factors, combined with the current epidemic, has led many oral surgeons to believe that the old standards of depending on opioids as a first-line treatment should be a thing of the past. In this free CME Snack, Dr. Gold and Dr. Abubaker share insights on alternative pain management strategies for oral pain with a focus on finding a balance between compassion for patient care and patient safety.
How PAs are Improving Skill Sets to Approach Opioid Use
Managing the Complexity of Chronic Pain in the Primary Care Setting
Primary care physicians can play a key role in making a difference in the opioid epidemic. PCPs are responsible for approximately 50% of opioid prescriptions and need to incorporate best practice strategies to optimize safe and competent prescribing, therefore minimizing potential for abuse and diversion. Although chronic pain is not something a physician can cure, if the patient feels understood and heard treatment will be more successful. This CME Snack focuses on the complexity of chronic pain and how best to manage it in a primary care setting, with expert faculty discussing how PCPs and their patients can make informed decisions together.New Perspectives and Approaches from Orthopedic Surgeons for the Management of Acute Pain
In light of the current opioid crisis, many states have put forward prescribing mandates and limits for opioids, clinical practice guidelines can provide guidance for treatment decisions for acute pain in the management of minor to major musculoskeletal injuries. In this CME Snack, expert faculty discuss non-opioid approaches to acute pain and the new Orthopaedic Trauma Association (OTA) Clinical Practice Guidelines for Acute Pain Management. Download the OTA Clinical Practice Guidelines for Acute Pain ManagementFatal Attraction: Why are Opioids so Addicting?
Early in the opioid crisis, physicians were the principle source of opioid use and abuse due to overprescribing, often leading to patients storing leftover prescriptions at home and friends or family members finding and using these leftovers. Unfortunately, simply restricting opioid prescriptions is not an effective strategy in a culture that has wildly available and accessible drugs of abuse available. In this CME Snack, Dr. Mark S. Gold focuses on the biological underpinnings of opioid addiction in order to educate clinicians on how to address the opioid epidemic in their communities.Championing Change: Addressing Addiction in Our Communities
In this CME Snack, Jessica Nickel, founder of the Addiction Policy Forum, and Dr. Mark Gold focus on community-based strategies to provide an effective care settings for those dealing with substance use disorder.
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Opioid Use Disorder in Special Populations: Making Recovery a Goal
Precise Prescribing: Applying the Science of Pain to Treatment Decisions
PAIN WeekEND Medical Meetings | Various Dates & Locations
Evaluating patients with acute and chronic pain can be daunting, as the nervous system is complex. Appropriate prescribing for acute and chronic pain in the midst of the opioid epidemic requires that front-line prescribers have a strong knowledge of pain pathways and underlying mechanisms to optimize treatment decision-making. These CME Outfitters symposia will integrate 3-D modeling to bring pain and addiction mechanisms to life in order to promote a better understanding of evolving pain management strategies. Faculty will provide best practice strategies for the clinical assessment and management of acute and chronic pain aligned to supporting evidence and recommendations to guide safe and effective pharmacological and non-pharmacologic treatment choices.
The Addiction Policy Forum is a nationwide nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating addiction as a major health problem. Our national headquarters are located in Washington, DC with resources and services in every state.
Resources for Teens and College Students
Teens
Operation Prevention – Parent Toolkit
College Students
Prescription Drug Misuse Among College Students
Brainstorming Opioid Addiction through Merged Perspectives: Learnings from Roundtable Discussions
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According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 115 people die each day in the United States due to an opioid overdose. To better understand the nation’s current epidemic, CME Outfitters recently brought together the perspectives of those most impacted by opioids in hopes of creating more effective strategies to avoid addiction in the coming years. These roundtable discussions, hosted by CME Outfitters, first pulled the experiences of both patients and their loved ones who have been affected by opioid dependency. Read more about the the four key takeaways that we learned. |
From Analytics to Understanding: A Look Into Our 3D Pain Animation’s Debut at CME Outfitters’ Opioid Epidemic Premiere Symposium
Family medicine providers are uniquely qualified to lead the charge for precise and responsible prescribing for acute and chronic pain. Family medicine is at the forefront of managing chronic illness, handling comorbidities, and coordinating care for their patients. A recent live meeting held at the Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians (PAFP) used an animated 3-D model that learners were able to move, rotate, and zoom as they explored acute and chronic pain pathways.
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