REVIEW BEST OPIOID PRACTICES AND CLINICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR 2022
Even as we make significant progress against Covid-19, another health problem has gotten exponentially worse – opioids. I’m sure you know someone struggling with an opioid addiction – 10.1 million or 3.7% of Americans misuse opioids at least once over a 12-month period (NCDAS). With more people in isolation, the epidemic has gotten more severe, so we need an even stronger defense against patient addiction.
To tackle this issue, the C.D.C. is drafting new guidelines for prescribing opioids, removing the ceiling for dosage amounts for chronic pain patients, but overall instating the rule of thumb: the less opioids, the better.
For patients on opioids, the C.D.C’s recommendations state that healthcare professionals should begin with the lowest dose and prescribe immediate-release pills, instead of long-acting opioids, to better prevent addiction (New York Times).
The C.D.C. also recommends healthcare professionals expand their arsenal of treatment options to help patients avoid opioids, such as massages, acupuncture, and even cannabis. To learn more about opioid alternatives, cannabinoids being one of them, as well as best treatment practices, watch our online Mayo Clinic conference “Opioid Conference: Evidence, Clinical Considerations & Best Practices” for free.
The Mayo Clinic conference aims to highlight the shift in guidelines and public concern regarding the use of opioids in medical practice and provides the most up-to-date information regarding the appropriate indication for opioids in clinical practice.
Learning objectives from the full Opioid Conference: Evidence, Clinical Considerations & Best Practices include:
- Learn the most up-to-date information regarding the appropriate indication for opioids in clinical practice.
- Discuss the basics of opioids, evidence-based guidelines for opioids, medication monitoring, tapering, and legal considerations.
- Address opioid addiction, difficult patient conversations, and guidelines to standardize the practice of opioid prescribing.
Here are 6 out of the 18 Video Lectures in this Conference on Opioid Best Practices You can Watch on GIBLIB! Click on one or all the links to start watching.
Thomas P. Pittelkow, D.O., M.P.H., discusses the key cannabinoids, receptors, and basic physiology of medical cannabis, the current and future state of medical cannabis science, and articulates the role of medical cannabis in the pain treatment algorithm.
Jeannie A. Sperry, Ph.D., L.P., discusses educating patients on the complexity of chronic pain, how to effectively deliver a biopsychosocial treatment plan, shares how to encourage self-management techniques, and finally focuses on changing the conversation about pain.
Nafisseh S. Warner, M.D., describes the mechanism of action and unique properties of buprenorphine, the clinical indications for use, acute pain, and periprocedural management strategies for buprenorphine, and the importance of multimodal and multidisciplinary analgesic strategies.
Tim J. Lamer, M.D., identifies common interventional pain therapies, outlines an algorithm for incorporating interventional pain therapies and common precautions or contraindications for interventional therapies.
Tyler S. Oesterle, M.D., M.P.H., discusses the advantage of utilizing medications to address opioid use disorder, the 3 most common forms of medication to address the disorder, the differences in these common medications, and treatment options for opioid use disorder in pregnancy.
Sally A. Brown, J.D., discusses legal risks associated with prescribing opioids, best practices to avoid malpractice claims, and reducing the risk of discipline by licensing boards.
Earn 8 CME credits by watching the full 16-video conference.
