Chronic pain management continues to present complex clinical challenges, requiring healthcare professionals to balance effective pain relief with patient safety and evidence-based opioid stewardship. This activity provides practical strategies for assessing and managing chronic pain using multimodal, patient-centered approaches, improving communication with patients, recognizing and mitigating opioid-related risks, and identifying and treating opioid use disorder. Participants will leave better prepared to implement evidence-based practices that optimize patient outcomes and promote safe, effective chronic pain management.
Target Audience
- Physicians
- Advanced Practice Clinicians
Learning Objectives
- Examine and be able to describe different types of pain and factors that contribute to and exacerbate pain.
- Optimize evidence based non-pharmacological and non-opioid chronic pain management for patients with chronic pain.
- Improve use of clinical communication tools around chronic opioid therapy such as controlled substance agreements, informed consent and communication of specific risk.
- Implement evidence based opioid stewardship practices including screening and monitoring for unintended medication harms and be able to optimize medication safety.
- Be able to recognize overdose risks and unsafe medication combinations. Be able to counsel on overdose prevention and optimize provision of naloxone for patients on chronic opioid therapy.
- Be able to recognize opioid use disorders and be knowledgeable on treatment with buprenorphine and Medications for Addiction Treatment.
- Improve interpersonal communication skills for patient communication including skills such as motivational interviewing and de-escalation.
- Effectively document and communicate treatment plans to patients and in the medical record.