Centers for disease Control and Prevention, 2017
In 2017, almost 57 million American patients had at least one prescription for opioids filled or refilled. The average number of opioid prescriptions per patient was 3.4, and the average days of supply per prescription was 18 days. Taking opioids for longer periods of time or in higher doses increases the risk of addiction, overdose, and death. The CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain provides recommendations for safer and more effective prescribing of opioids for chronic pain in patients 18 and older in outpatient settings outside of active cancer treatment, palliative care, and end-of-life care.This interactive online training series aims to help healthcare providers apply CDC’s recommendations in clinical settings through patient scenarios, videos, knowledge checks, tips, and resources. Providers can gain a better understanding of the recommendations, the risks and benefits of prescription opioids, nonopioid treatment options, patient communication, and risk mitigation. Each stand-alone module is self-paced and offers free continuing education credit. The list below contains information about the trainings currently available, as well as those planned for release for the remainder of this year.
Click here to access this interactive training series.