Educational Activities Archives

The learner is presented with foundational information on pain treatment, with a focus on chronic pain. The module reviews material on the sociopsychobiological model of pain and how that impacts treatment approaches, the evidence for pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies for pain, and the recommended strategies for managing chronic pain.

This activity focuses on the assessment and management of pain using multimodal treatments that reduce the reliance on opioid analgesics. Learners are introduced to information on the principles, mechanisms, and frameworks relevant to multimodal analgesia, with an emphasis on non-pharmacological techniques and non-opioid medications. Applications of multimodal treatments for pain to various clinical settings are reviewed, as well as relevant case studies for the treatment of acute and sub-acute pain.

This activity focuses on the assessment, mitigation and management of risk when prescribing opioids for analgesia. Learners are introduced to the concept of universal precautions and their role in opioid therapy, as well as to practical monitoring and documentation strategies. The fundamental principles of urine drug testing and interpretation are also reviewed, as is the differential diagnosis of opioid misuse. Special attention is given to overdose prevention, naloxone co-prescribing, and how to recognize and respond to an emerging opioid use disorder when prescribing chronic opioid therapy for pain.

In this module participants review how to identify the main principles of pain treatment in opioid use disorder and to describe how these principles are applied to the treatment of acute pain as well as chronic non-terminal, non-cancer pain in OUD. Specifically, participants will learn to manage opioid withdrawal and acute pain in patients with OUD during hospitalization with and without receiving concomitant MOUD. Participants will examine strategies in formulating a multimodal pain plan for chronic pain in patients with OUD.

This course provides a framework for decision-making around opioid prescribing in individuals with serious illnesses such as cancer who also have a substance use disorder. Clinicians will learn factors to consider, including pain assessment, substance use history, and prognosis, and when buprenorphine might be appropriate to use as a primary medication for pain in the setting of SUD.

Due to the opioid epidemic, over 2.5 million adults in the U.S. have opioid use disorder (OUD), yet only 25% of those who need treatment receive recommended medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD). Alongside the rising rates of OUD, there has been an increase in infectious diseases such as HIV, hepatitis B and C, endocarditis and skin and soft-tissue infections, particularly among people who inject drugs. These intertwining epidemics have not been sufficiently addressed, but MOUD — combined with appropriate substance use treatment supports and health care services — represents an opportunity to reduce risk and improve health outcomes.