Opioid Stewardship in Practice: Safer Prescribing, Non-Opioid Strategies and Harm Reduction Across Care Settings-FREE NO CME-Compass CARES: Microlearning Series Handout

Compass CARES: Microlearning Series Handout

Pdf Summary

This document is a Compass CARES microlearning series on safer opioid prescribing and pain management in rural and community settings. It presents four case-based modules focused on practical, evidence-based strategies to reduce opioid-related harm while preserving patient trust and improving function.<br /><br />Module 1 addresses chronic pain and long-term opioid therapy. It emphasizes starting with the lowest effective dose, avoiding rapid escalation, and reframing pain treatment around function rather than pain elimination. Clinicians are encouraged to use tools like PEG-3, prioritize non-opioid and non-pharmacologic therapies, and consider slow, collaborative tapering when opioids are no longer helping. Partial-agonist options such as buprenorphine may be safer for some patients.<br /><br />Module 2 focuses on inpatient postoperative pain management. It highlights identifying high-risk patients early, especially those with sleep apnea, kidney disease, older age, or sedative use. It recommends multimodal, opioid-sparing care through ERAS protocols, scheduled non-opioids such as acetaminophen, cautious use of NSAIDs and gabapentinoids, non-pharmacologic measures, and PRN rather than scheduled opioids with close sedation and respiratory monitoring.<br /><br />Module 3 covers outpatient chronic pain in resource-limited rural settings. It recommends realistic expectations, function-based goals, non-opioid medications such as NSAIDs and duloxetine, movement and self-management strategies, sleep support, and brief validating conversations that build trust. Walking programs, education, and telehealth-supported behavioral strategies are highlighted as feasible and effective options.<br /><br />Module 4 addresses overdose prevention and harm reduction. It stresses recognizing stacked risks from opioids, benzodiazepines, alcohol, higher doses, and living alone. It recommends routine naloxone co-prescribing, non-judgmental counseling, PDMP review, urine drug testing, safer use education, and maintaining care engagement even when risk is high.<br /><br />Overall, the series promotes patient-centered, collaborative opioid stewardship using safer prescribing, multimodal pain care, and harm reduction.

Keywords

opioid prescribing

pain management

harm reduction

naloxone co-prescribing

chronic pain

multimodal analgesia

rural healthcare

buprenorphine

ERAS protocols

PDMP review