De-stress Pain Management: Rethinking Opioid and Non-Opioid Therapies

The goal of this series is to provide osteopathic primary care clinicians, with evidence-based, multidisciplinary strategies to improve knowledge and competence of pain management with non-pharmacologic and non-opioid therapies and the methodology to safely integrate opioids into treatment regimens to mitigate risks of opioid use disorder while addressing current barriers to optimal management.

The series is made up of two parts: an online curriculum and a live, virtual case forum.

How to earn credit and meet DEA requirements:

1. Register for a Case Forum (August 13th, or at OMED '24  in September)
2. Take the Online Curriculum
3. Attend the Case Forum you selected above
4. Get your credit and meet DEA requirements!

The online curriculum covers the following learning objectives:

• Recall the 12 recommendations for clinicians who are prescribing opioids from the CDC Clinical Practice Guidelines for Prescribing Opioids for Pain, 2022.
• Explain strategies to facilitate safe integration of opioid analgesics into treatment plans with considerations for consistent patient education.
• Detail strategies to facilitate tapering of opioids following evidence-based practices.
• Characterize key clinical presentations of patients at risk for opioid disorder or who may be inappropriately using opioids.
• Review strategies for implementing OMT into treatment regimens.

The live case forums (being held virtually via Zoom) will focus on the following learning objectives:

• State the role of both prescription and illicit opioids within osteopathic care.
• Discover the appropriate circumstances for prescribing full agonist opioids for chronic pain, guided by osteopathic philosophy.
• Analyze case studies to identify opportunities for using Buprenorphine and Methadone in the treatment of chronic pain or Opioid Use Disorder (OUD).
• Evaluate the skills in early detection of OUD by learning tools and techniques for assessment.
• Assess the risk/benefit profiles of starting, stopping, or modifying opioid prescriptions for pain management.
• Develop tailored treatment plans for patients with pain or OUD to include the significance of continuous management and support, and incorporate a range of treatment options such as medication-assisted treatment, behavioral therapies, and support services.