CLINICAL COURSE DRILLS INTO PATIENT INTERACTION AND LESSENING RISK EXPOSURE
The second course is a deeper dive , providing actionable information and options to providers and physicians who see opioid prescriptions as an increasingly unacceptable risk to their practices and systems . Newsholme says some are referring patients out to specialists in pain management , for instance , and that could lead to interruption of care or become a hurdle for patients when it comes to managing their conditions .
GENERAL COURSE PROVIDES OVERVIEW AND ACTION STEPS :
“ We went with two courses because we knew something was needed at a very general level , because of the ‘ everybody knows somebody ’ aspect of opioid addiction ,” Newsholme explains .
“ It ’ s a family member , friend , or acquaintance who has either taken opioids or has had a problem with addiction . Too often , patients have fallen into that cycle because they weren ’ t properly educated around the risks . Only recently has the prescription process included a sit-down with the patient , and family members or caregivers if necessary , to talk about what these drugs are , and why they are being given — and that there is a risk of addiction if they are taken for longer than the period prescribed or taken incorrectly .”
“ We wanted to provide CDC recommendations for managing acute and chronic pain and how that risk can be managed within their practices ,” Newsholme says . “ There is a lot of information about what OUD looks like , and we want to share that because many of these physicians have not seen it since they don ’ t deal with addiction treatment . We wanted to take the general course , add more specific information , and synthesize it into something that addresses all the points that providers need answered .”
ADAPT AND ADOPT ARE WATCHWORDS FOR FUTURE COURSE DEVELOPMENT
Because the singular-opioid crisis doesn ’ t exist in a vacuum , but rather is a fast-moving and complex issue , the coursework reflects that . According to Newsholme , content development is also occurring in the following areas , with more additions to come over time :
• Identification of Medication Assisted Treatment ( MAT ) programs : From emergency room to outpatient care
• Effecting behavior change with motivational interviewing
• Diversion in the healthcare setting