Welcome to the Pharmacy Opioid Education Hub
Pharmacists are important stakeholders in changing the course of the opioid crisis. As health care providers at the point of opioid dispensing, pharmacists wear many hats. Technology built in to clinical workflow combined with relationships built with community residents give pharmacists the ability to identify “red flags” in prescribing—high doses of opioids, multiple prescriptions from multiple prescribers and pharmacies—that place individuals at risk for overdose and to provide access to naloxone as needed. Pharmacists are educators that promote safe medication storage and disposal. Through collaborations with local physicians, other pharmacies, and law enforcement, pharmacists are the first line of defense against potential abuse, misuse, and diversion. For these many reasons, we have created this Pharmacy Opioid Education Hub dedicated to pharmacy education and resources.
A Way Forward: How Naloxone Saves Lives from Opioid Overdose
Increasing access to naloxone is essential to reducing overdose mortality. Strategies for increasing access must be thoughtfully developed and deployed to ensure that naloxone is available to any at-risk individual—whether that be an individual with chronic pain or someone with a substance use disorder—without the burden of stigma or judgement. CMEO convened an expert panel led by Dr. Mark Gold to discuss barriers and opportunities for distribution of naloxone to those at risk for overdose in the community. This white paper, A Way Forward: How Naloxone Saves Lives from Opioid Overdose reviews the data used by the panelists to establish their positions and recommendations for the way forward.
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Live & On-Demand Webcasts CMEO Snacks CMEO BriefCases CMEOCast Resources
Animations Understanding Addiction Naloxone Toolkit Drugs of Abuse Blog
Specialty Opioid Education Hubs
Putting Pressure on Opioid Prescribing: Novel Approaches to Pain Management
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Opioids continue to impact all corners of the United States and its communities, a burden that continues to grow at a rapid pace. The current opioid crisis is incredibly challenging for both patients and health care providers (HCPs). There has been a 30% increase in overdoses among men and a 24% increase among women, with all ages affected. While changing these current trends is important, it cannot be accomplished by policy changes alone. There is no one size fits all model for communities to address this crisis. This activity is also available as a podcast>>  |
Time To Listen: What The Experts Have To Say About Safe Opioid Prescribing And Addiction Treatment
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This CME Outfitters activity features insight from this panel of experts on the challenges, consequences, and opportunities for the development of education to help meet the pain management needs of patients amid rising concerns of addiction and diversion. |
Addressing the Opioid Epidemic: Reducing the Burden of Pain in a Changing Treatment Landscape
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Developing actionable steps to promote appropriate prescribing for individuals with acute and chronic pain is imperative to curbing the impact of the growing opioid crisis facing our communities. |
Addressing the Opioid Epidemic: New Approaches to Safe and Effective Pain Management
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In part 2 of this 3-part series, expert faculty focus on the four-step approach that follows the SOAP (Subjective-Objective-Assessment-Plan) approach to pain management, as well as principles of communication with patients experiencing pain in order to help clinicians appropriately prescribe the best therapy for pain management in each patient. |
Addressing the Opioid Epidemic: Principles of Communication and Recognizing Patient Needs
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The conclusion of this 3-part series features expert faculty focusing on a collaborative patient-centered approach in order to guide optimal pain management, which includes applying an evidence-based approach to chronic pain management and improving prescribing practices through pharmacovigilance. |
Addressing the Opioid Epidemic: A Call to Action to Save Our Communities
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Join Dr. Gold and Dr. Stanos in augmented reality illustration of pain management strategies to optimize safe and responsible management of acute and chronic pain. This activity is also available as a podcast>>  |
Understanding the Big Picture of Pain and Pain Assessment
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The key to pain management is helping patients function better so that they can return to doing the things they enjoy. In this CME Snack, expert faculty discuss pain assessment tools and risk stratification so that clinicians can work together with patients to restore function and improve quality of life. This activity is also available as a podcast>> |
Providing the Right Expectations: Understanding the Pathophysiology of Pain
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In this CME Snack on understanding and treating pain, expert faculty focus on the pathophysiology of pain and the underlying mechanisms to assessment and appropriate management. This activity is also available as a podcast>> |
Shifting Perspectives on Pain Management in Oral Surgery
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In this free CME Snack, Dr. Gold and Dr. Abubaker share insights on alternative pain management strategies for oral pain with a focus on finding a balance between compassion for patient care and patient safety. This activity is also available as a podcast>> |
The Role that Gender Plays in Pain Perception, Treatment, and Addiction
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In this CME Snack, expert faculty discuss how gender and sexual trauma and/or abuse affects a patient’s proclivity to substance abuse disorders. This activity is also available as a podcast>> |
Managing the Complexity of Chronic Pain in the Primary Care Setting
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This CME Snack focuses on the complexity of chronic pain and how best to manage it in a primary care setting, with expert faculty discussing how PCPs and their patients can make informed decisions together. This activity is also available as a podcast>> |
How PAs are Improving Skill Sets to Approach Opioid Use
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In this CME Snack on best ways to approach opioid use, expert faculty discuss the importance of gathering comprehensive patient histories that include substance use information, listening to patient stories, and the wellness component of treating patients with pain. This activity is also available as a podcast>> |
New Perspectives and Approaches from Orthopedic Surgeons for the Management of Acute Pain
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In this CME Snack, expert faculty discuss non-opioid approaches to acute pain and the new Orthopaedic Trauma Association (OTA) Clinical Practice Guidelines for Acute Pain Management. Download the OTA Clinical Practice Guidelines for Acute Pain Management. This activity is also available as a podcast>> |
Fatal Attraction: Why are Opioids so Addicting?
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In this CME Snack, Dr. Mark S. Gold focuses on the biological underpinnings of opioid addiction in order to educate clinicians on how to address the opioid epidemic in their communities. This activity is also available as a podcast>> |
Opioid Red Flags: Examining the Options and Taking the Next Steps
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The final episode of this CME Outfitters Briefcase series focuses on identifying the red flags of OUD and best options for taking the next steps to engage patients and develop appropriate treatment strategies. Download the podcast transcript.
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Ask Before Dispensing: Risk Assessment and Counseling of Patients Prescribed Opioids
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This CME Outfitters BriefCase will replicate a real-world patient case scenario and usevinteractive technology focused on proper risk assessment, and strategies for counseling patients about their pain and utilizing nonopioid pain management as a means of optimizing a safe and effective, multimodal treatment plan.
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Partnering with Patients: Counseling Patients About Non-Opioid Pain Options
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The second installment of this CME Outfitters BriefCase series on addressing the opioid epidemic in our communities focuses on how HCPs can educate their patients about their pain and about nonopioid pain management in order to optimize safe and effective, multimodal treatment plans. |
Keeping Patients Safe: Educating About Safe Disposal of Opioids to Prevent Diversion
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The final installment in this CME Outfitters BriefCase series highlights a patient case study that focuses on keeping patients safe by educating them on the proper storage and disposal of opioids. |
The Role of the Pharmacist in Identifying Signs of Opioid Use Disorder
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This CMEOCast podcast episode features expert faculty focused on the role of the pharmacist in communicating with patients about their prescribed opioids and in recommending and/or dispensing naloxone to individuals prescribed opioids who may be at risk for overdose, and available options for medicated assisted treatment (MAT). |
Team-Based Strategies to Address Patients’ Pain Needs
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Resources
- OTC Analgesics for the Management of Acute Pain: Clinical Experience in the Era of the Opioid Crisis
- Adult Dosing Chart
- Understanding Your Drug Facts Labels
- Taking an OTC NSAID
- Taking Prescription Acetaminophen
- How to Properly Dispose of Your Unused Medicines
- List of Medicines Recommended for Flushing
- Controlled Substance Public Disposal Locations
- Do Your Health Conditions Affect Your OTC Pain Reliever Choice?
- Language Matters
Resources for Teens and College Students
Teens
College Students
Animations
Understanding Addiction
The Addiction Policy Forum is a nationwide nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating addiction as a major health problem. Our national headquarters are located in Washington, DC with resources and services in every state.
Why are Drugs So Hard to Quit?
The Disease Model of Addiction
Naloxone Toolkit
Naloxone Administration
Naloxone Facts
Addiction & the Brain
Facts about Drugs of Abuse
Blog
Brainstorming Opioid Addiction through Merged Perspectives: Learnings from Roundtable Discussions
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According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 115 people die each day in the United States due to an opioid overdose. To better understand the nation’s current epidemic, CME Outfitters recently brought together the perspectives of those most impacted by opioids in hopes of creating more effective strategies to avoid addiction in the coming years. These roundtable discussions, hosted by CME Outfitters, first pulled the experiences of both patients and their loved ones who have been affected by opioid dependency. Read more about the the four key takeaways that we learned. |
From Analytics to Understanding: A Look Into Our 3D Pain Animation’s Debut at CME Outfitters’ Opioid Epidemic Premiere Symposium
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Family medicine providers are uniquely qualified to lead the charge for precise and responsible prescribing for acute and chronic pain. Family medicine is at the forefront of managing chronic illness, handling comorbidities, and coordinating care for their patients. A recent live meeting held at the Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians (PAFP) used an animated 3-D model that learners were able to move, rotate, and zoom as they explored acute and chronic pain pathways. |
