PRACTICE PARTNER
be individuals or teams, including doctors, nurse
practitioners, nurses, pharmacists and physician
assistants. The sessions are educational as opposed to
being a clinical consultation and there are 20 sessions in
each curriculum cycle.
Aside from weekly ECHO sessions, evening sessions
on opioid tapering are also offered.
Medical Mentoring for Addiction and Pain
(MMAP) Network
The Ontario College of Family Physicians launched the
Collaborative Mentoring Networks (CMN) in 2001 to
create opportunities in mentorship for Ontario’s family
physicians. After the successful launch of the Collabora-
tive Mental Health Network (CMHN), which focuses
on mental health, there was high demand and inter-
est from family physician members for a mentoring
network focused on chronic pain and addictions. These
two areas have been – and continue to be – consistently
identified by family physicians as extremely challeng-
ing clinical issues. With the emergence of the opioid
crisis in recent years, the importance and value of the
knowledge and mentoring within the Medical Mentor-
ing for Addictions and Pain (MMAP) Network has only
intensified.
The MMAP Network was launched in 2007,
providing mentoring support that connects family
physicians anywhere in Ontario with regional experts
in chronic pain and addictions. Advice, mentorship
and support from these experts are available at network
members’ convenience to help navigate complexities
in managing chronic pain, addictions and the current
challenges around opioid prescribing.
The mentees can choose to engage in a one-to-one
format, or in small or large groups. These interactions
can take place in person, via telephone, email or an on-
line community of practice, in addition to regional con-
ferences and meetings that take place throughout the
year in Ontario. The format of the mentoring sessions
can also be adjusted throughout the mentoring relation-
ship to account for the guidance needed, frequency,
location and schedules as well.
“The element that makes our Collaborative Mentor-
ing Networks so powerful and unique is the way we
construct the mentoring relationship; we’re able to
make the mentoring experience dynamic and responsive
to our network members’ individual needs, creating a
supportive, safe and compassionate space for them,”
said Dr. Arun Radhakrishnan, a family physician with
a clinical focus on chronic pain who is the co-chair of
Opioids Clinical Primer on Machealth
In collaboration with Ontario's six medical schools, Machealth has launched a new online learning
program designed to help health professionals in Ontario better understand their role in the
management of the ongoing opioid crisis. The program addresses common challenges in the
management of chronic pain, with a specific focus on risk reduction when prescribing opioids, as well
as a focused look at preventing opioid use disorder and overdoses.
The online program was developed with the goal of
reducing opioid related harms by:
elping clinicians develop strategies for safer
h
opioid prescribing
increasing awareness of opioid use disorder and
the availability of evidence-based treatment
Facilitating access to naloxone
Educating regarding harm reduction
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DIALOGUE ISSUE 1, 2019