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

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.

Pain management in the emergency department: a clinical review

Pain is one of the most common reasons for patients to visit the emergency department. The ever-growing research on emergency department analgesia has challenged the current practices with respect to the optimal analgesic regimen for acute musculoskeletal pain, safe and judicious opioid prescribing, appropriate utilization of non-opioid therapeutics, and non-pharmacological treatment modalities. This clinical review is set to provide evidence-based answers to these challenging questions.

A Retrospective Review of Opioid Prescribing Practices for At-Risk Pediatric Populations Undergoing Ambulatory Surgery

OBJECTIVE Pediatric patients with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and obesity are at risk for opioid-induced respiratory depression. Although monitoring in the inpatient setting allows for early recognition of opioid-related adverse events, there is far less vigilance after ambulatory surgery as patients are discharged home. Guidelines for proper opioid dosing in these pediatric subsets have not been established. We sought to determine if at-risk children were more likely to receive doses of opioids outside the recommended range. METHODS Baseline opioid prescribing data for all outpatient surgery patients receiving an opioid prescription between January 2019 and June 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients with SDB or obesity were identified. To obtain more information about prescribing practices, we analyzed patient demographics, size descriptors used for calculations, and prescription characteristics (dose, duration, and prescribing surgical service). RESULTS A total of 4674 patients received an opioid prescription after outpatient surgery. Of those, 173 patients had SDB and 128 were obese. Surgical subspecialties rendering most of the opioid prescriptions included otolaryngology and orthopedics. Obese patients were more likely (64%) to be prescribed opioids using ideal weight at higher mg/kg doses (&gt;0.05 mg/kg; 83.3%; p &lt; 0.0001). When providers used actual body weight, lower mg/kg doses were more likely to be used (53.7%; p &lt; 0.0001). No prescriptions used lean body mass. CONCLUSIONS Overweight/obese children were more likely to receive opioid doses outside the recommended range. Variability in prescribing patterns demonstrates the need for more detailed guidelines to minimize the risk of opioid-induced respiratory complications in vulnerable pediatric populations.