Evaluation of the Impact of an Online Opioid Education Program for Acute Pain Management

Abstract Objective The University of Washington instituted a policy requiring all credentialed clinicians who prescribe opioids to complete a one-time education activity about safe and responsible opioid prescribing. A scenario-based, interactive online learning module was developed for opioid management of acute pain in hospitalized adults. This study examined the impact of the education module on learners’ knowledge, perceived competence, and use of guideline-adherent practices. Methods Clinicians who completed the education module participated in a voluntary de-identified online survey approximately six months after the learning activity. Survey questions were related to 1) the perception of improved knowledge; 2) impact on learner’s use of three guideline-adherent practices; and 3) perceived competence in managing opioids for acute pain. Descriptive statistics were generated, and multiple linear regression models were used for analysis. Results Clinicians (N = 167) reported improvement in knowledge and perceived competence. Controlling for other aspects of knowledge evaluated, learning to construct a safe opioid taper plan for acute pain, distinguishing between short- and long-acting opioids, and safely initiating opioids for acute pain were significantly associated with increased self-reported likelihood of incorporating the Washington state Prescription Monitoring Program (P = 0.003), using multimodal analgesia (P = 0.022), and reducing the duration of opioids prescribed (P = 0.016). Only improvement in knowledge of how to construct a safe opioid taper plan was significantly associated with increased perceived competence (P = 0.002). Conclusions Our findings suggest that this online education module about safe opioid prescribing for acute pain management was effective at improving knowledge, increasing the likelihood of using guideline-adherent clinical practices, and increasing perceived competence.

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Acute pain management in radiation oncology: Quality of care and the impact of an integrated palliative oncology service.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2016.34.26_suppl.195 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 34 (26_suppl) ◽

pp. 195-195 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Michael A Garcia ◽

Tracy A. Balboni ◽

Steve E. Braunstein ◽

Shannon E. Fogh ◽

Wendy Anderson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pain Management ◽

Bone Metastases ◽

Acute Pain ◽

Radiation Oncology ◽

Acute Pain Management ◽

Nccn Guidelines ◽

Analgesic Regimen ◽

Pain Intervention ◽

June July ◽

The Impact

195 Background: Radiotherapy (RT) effectively palliates bone metastases, but relief may take weeks, frequently necessitating acute pain management (APM). NCCN Guidelines for Adult Cancer Pain (V2.2015) recommend initiation/titration of analgesics for patients with pain scale value (PSV) ≥ 4. We sought to evaluate how often symptomatic patients have analgesic regimens assessed and intervened upon at radiation oncology (RO) consult for bone metastases, and the impact of a dedicated palliative RO service on APM. Methods: We reviewed consult notes for 217 bone metastases patients treated with RT at Dana Farber Cancer Institute/Brigham & Women’s Hospital (DFCI/BWH) and University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) during June-July 2008, Jan-Feb 2010, Jan-Feb 2013, and June-July 2014, time periods before and after implementation in 2011 of a dedicated palliative RO service at DFCI/BWH. For symptomatic patients, rate of assessment of analgesic regimen was recorded. Among patients with PSV ≥ 4, rate of pain intervention was recorded. The impact of a palliative RO service on these rates was evaluated. Results: Median age was 63 and median KPS was 70. Median PSV for painful bone metastases was 5 (IQR 2-7); 51% had PSV ≥ 4. Among symptomatic patients, analgesic regimen was assessed for 44.5% (51.7% at DFCI/BWH and 28.1% at UCSF). Among patients with PSV ≥ 4, pain intervention occurred for 17.2% (20.5% for DFCI/BWH, 0% for UCSF). At DFCI/BWH, consultation by a dedicated palliative RO provider was associated with higher rate of assessment of analgesic regimen (82.4% vs 47.7%, p = 0.007). At DFCI/BWH, consultation by a palliative RO provider was associated with higher rate of pain intervention (31.2% vs 7.9%, p = 0.012). There was no difference in analgesic regimen assessment or intervention between non-dedicated palliative RO providers at DFCI/BWH and UCSF (p = 0.07 and 0.09, respectively). Conclusions: At two cancer centers, half of bone metastases patients seen for RT have PSV ≥ 4, yet a minority have analgesic assessment and intervention, indicating need for APM quality improvement in RO. An integrated palliative RO service was associated with improved assessment and management of acute pain per NCCN guidelines.

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The Impact of Technology on the Analgesic Gap and Quality of Acute Pain Management

Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine ◽

10.1016/j.rapm.2004.10.009 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 30 (3) ◽

pp. 286-291 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

D CARR ◽

H REINES ◽

J SCHAFFER ◽

R POLOMANO ◽

S LANDE

Keyword(s):

Pain Management ◽

Acute Pain ◽

Acute Pain Management ◽

Impact Of Technology ◽

The Impact

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A focus on the future of opioid prescribing: implementation of a virtual opioid and pain management module for medical students

BMC Medical Education ◽

10.1186/s12909-021-03058-z ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Jenna R. Adalbert ◽

Asif M. Ilyas

Keyword(s):

Pain Management ◽

Medical Students ◽

Medical School ◽

The United States ◽

Perceived Competence ◽

Learning System ◽

Care Process ◽

Health Crisis ◽

Opioid Prescribing ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background The United States opioid epidemic is a devastating public health crisis fueled in part by physician prescribing. While the next generation of prescribers is crucial to the trajectory of the epidemic, medical school curricula designated to prepare students for opioid prescribing (OP) and pain management is often underdeveloped. In response to this deficit, we aimed to investigate the impact of an online opioid and pain management (OPM) educational intervention on fourth-year medical student knowledge, attitudes, and perceived competence. Methods Graduating students completing their final year of medical education at Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University were sent an e-mail invitation to complete a virtual OPM module. The module consisted of eight interactive patient cases that introduced topics through a case-based learning system, challenging students to make decisions and answer knowledge questions about the patient care process. An identical pre- and posttest were built into the module to measure general and case-specific learning objectives, with responses subsequently analyzed using the Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test. Results Forty-three students (19% response rate) completed the module. All median posttest responses ranked significantly higher than paired median pretest responses (p < 0.05). Comparing the paired overall student baseline score to module completion, median posttest ranks (Mdn = 206, IQR = 25) were significantly higher than median pretest ranks (Mdn = 150, IQR = 24) (p < 0.001). Regarding paired median Perceived Competence Scale metrics specifically, perceived student confidence, capability, and ability in opioid management increased from “disagree” (2) to “agree” (4) (p < 0.001), and student ability to meet the challenge of opioid management increased from “neither agree nor disagree” (3) to “agree” (4) (p < 0.001). Additionally, while 77% of students reported receiving OP training in medical school, 21% reported no history of prior training. Conclusion Implementation of a virtual, interactive module with clinical context is an effective framework for improving the OPM knowledge, attitudes, and perceived competence of fourth-year medical students. This type of intervention may be an important method for standardizing and augmenting the education of future prescribers across multiple institutions.

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