This activity focuses on utilizing behavioral medicine to reduce opioid use and covers all aspects of the core content outlined in the revised FDA Blueprint, with an emphasis on behavioral health and how the application of behavioral methods can help control pain. The content is broken down into four modules: The Basics of Pain Management, Creating the Pain Treatment Plan, Managing Patients with Pain on Opioid Analgesics, and Addiction Medicine Primer. This is a FDA REMS-compliant accredited CE activity.
Describe the fundamental concepts of pain management
Assess patients with pain, including mental health (ie, depression, anxiety, etc), and identify potential risk factors for opioid use disorder and who could benefit from behavioral health services
Utilize the range of therapeutic options for managing pain, including non-pharmacologic approaches and pharmacologic (non-opioid and opioid analgesics) therapies with a focus on the inclusion of behavioral therapy
Manage patients on opioid analgesics safely and effectively in acute and chronic pain settings, including initiating therapy, titrating, and discontinuing use of opioid analgesics, with a focus on discontinuation of opioids and the use of behavioral medicine
Counsel patients and caregivers on the safe use of opioid analgesics along with behavioral medicine approaches
Counsel patients and caregivers about the use of naloxone for opioid overdose
Refer patients to a pain specialist, as appropriate
Utilize the fundamental elements of addiction medicine (ie, diagnosis, prevention, evaluation, treatment, and recovery of patients with opioid use disorder)
Identify and manage the care of patients with opioid use disorder, including behavioral medicine approaches
Identify current information about safe opioid practices and current federal and state regulations, national guidelines, and professional organization and medical specialty guidelines on treating pain and prescribing opioids
Detail the use of naloxone and the importance of its availability for use by patients and caregivers in the community and home
The educational activity is directed towards family medicine physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners who are registered with the DEA and who are eligible to prescribe all opioid analgesics. The activity is also intended for non-prescribers who manage patients receiving opioid analgesic therapy, non-pharmacologic therapies, and nonopioid medication therapies for pain.
Robert Bales, MD
Department of Family Medicine
Primary Care Institute
Center for Behavioral Health
Neurological Institute
Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland, OH
Richard W. Rosenquist, MD
Chairman, Pain Management Department
Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland, OH
Pavan Tankha, DO
Medical Director, Center for Comprehensive Pain Recovery
Neurological Institute
Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland, OH
Amy Zack, MD
Department of Family Medicine
Vice Chair of Education
Primary Care Institute
Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland, OH
This CME activity was produced by Cleveland Clinic's Center for Continuing Education and The France Foundation.