Physician survey examining the impact of an educational tool for responsible opioid prescribing

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 81-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Young, PhD ◽  
Kelly C. Alfred, MS ◽  
Philip P. Davignon, MA ◽  
LaSharn M. Hughes, MBA ◽  
Lisa A. Robin, MLA ◽  
...  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Paul Park ◽  
Victor Chang ◽  
Hsueh-Han Yeh ◽  
Jason M. Schwalb ◽  
David R. Nerenz ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVEIn 2017, Michigan passed new legislation designed to reduce opioid abuse. This study evaluated the impact of these new restrictive laws on preoperative narcotic use, short-term outcomes, and readmission rates after spinal surgery.METHODSPatient data from 1 year before and 1 year after initiation of the new opioid laws (beginning July 1, 2018) were queried from the Michigan Spine Surgery Improvement Collaborative database. Before and after implementation of the major elements of the new laws, 12,325 and 11,988 patients, respectively, were treated.RESULTSPatients before and after passage of the opioid laws had generally similar demographic and surgical characteristics. Notably, after passage of the opioid laws, the number of patients taking daily narcotics preoperatively decreased from 3783 (48.7%) to 2698 (39.7%; p < 0.0001). Three months postoperatively, there were no differences in minimum clinically important difference (56.0% vs 58.0%, p = 0.1068), numeric rating scale (NRS) score of back pain (3.5 vs 3.4, p = 0.1156), NRS score of leg pain (2.7 vs 2.7, p = 0.3595), satisfaction (84.4% vs 84.7%, p = 0.6852), or 90-day readmission rate (5.8% vs 6.2%, p = 0.3202) between groups. Although there was no difference in readmission rates, pain as a reason for readmission was marginally more common (0.86% vs 1.22%, p = 0.0323).CONCLUSIONSThere was a meaningful decrease in preoperative narcotic use, but notably there was no apparent negative impact on postoperative recovery, patient satisfaction, or short-term outcomes after spinal surgery despite more restrictive opioid prescribing. Although the readmission rate did not significantly increase, pain as a reason for readmission was marginally more frequently observed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 433
Author(s):  
Tamer Khatib ◽  
Haneen Alwaneh ◽  
Wajdi Mabroukeh ◽  
Yassmin Abu-Ghalion ◽  
Fatima Abu-Gadi ◽  
...  

This paper presents a smartphone application game that aims to increase the awareness of preschoolers on renewable energy. The age of the selected preschoolers is in the range of 4-6 years. The game is called DAYSAM, and it aims to increase awareness regarding photovoltaic arrays, wind turbines, mini-hydropower stations, energy efficiency, and risks that polar bears are facing. The game provides two superior features compared to other available games in Arabic language, targeting the same age group. Preschoolers from An-Najah Child Institute are selected to play this game to investigate the impact of this game. The preschoolers’ awareness is tested before and after playing the game using coloring sheets in an unsupervised coloring process. The results show that the proposed game has increased preschooler’s awareness of renewable energy. Before playing the game, none of the preschoolers recognized images like the photovoltaic array or the wind turbine. After playing the game the preschoolers recognized these devices in different situations and shapes. This indicates that such a game can be used as a fun and educational tool in nurseries that have Arabic communication medium to increase awareness of renewable energy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. i48-i49
Author(s):  
S Visram ◽  
J Saini ◽  
R Mandvia

Abstract Introduction Opioid class drugs are a commonly prescribed form of analgesic widely used in the treatment of acute, cancer and chronic non-cancer pain. Up to 90% of individuals presenting to pain centres receive opioids, with doctors in the UK prescribing more and stronger opioids (1). Concern is increasing that patients with chronic pain are inappropriately being moved up the WHO ‘analgesic ladder’, originally developed for cancer pain, without considering alternatives to medications, (2). UK guidelines on chronic non-cancer pain management recommend weak opioids as a second-line treatment, when the first-line non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs / paracetamol) ineffective, and for short-term use only. A UK educational outreach programme by the name IMPACT (Improving Medicines and Polypharmacy Appropriateness Clinical Tool) was conducted on pain management. This research evaluated the IMPACT campaign, analysing the educational impact on the prescribing of morphine, tramadol and other high-cost opioids, in the Walsall CCG. Methods Standardised training material was delivered to 50 practices between December 2018 and June 2019 by IMPACT pharmacists. The training included a presentation on pain control, including dissemination of local and national guidelines, management of neuropathic, low back pain and sciatica as well as advice for prescribers on prescribing opioids in long-term pain, with the evidence-base. Prescribing trends in primary care were also covered in the training, and clinicians were provided with resources to use in their practice. Data analysis included reviewing prescribing data and evaluating the educational intervention using feedback from participants gathered via anonymous questionnaires administered at the end of the training. Prescribing data analysis was conducted by Keele University’s Medicines Management team via the ePACT 2 system covering October 2018 to September 2019 (two months before and three months after the intervention) were presented onto graphs to form comparisons in prescribing trends of the Midland CCG compared to England. Results Questionnaires completed at the end of sessions showed high levels of satisfaction, with feedback indicating that participants found the session well presented, successful at highlighting key messages, and effective in using evidence-based practice. 88% of participants agreed the IMPACT campaign increased their understanding of the management and assessment of pain, and prescribing of opioids and other resources available to prescribers. The majority (85%) wished to see this form of education being repeated regularly in the future for other therapeutic areas. Analysis of the prescribing data demonstrated that the total volume of opioid analgesics decreased by 1.7% post-intervention in the Midlands CCG in response to the pharmacist-led educational intervention. As supported by literature, the use of educational strategies, including material dissemination and reminders as well as group educational outreach was effective in engaging clinicians, as demonstrated by the reduction in opioid prescribing and high GP satisfaction in this campaign. Conclusion The IMPACT campaign was effective at disseminating pain-specific guidelines for opioid prescribing to clinicians, leading to a decrease in overall prescribing of opioid analgesics. Educational outreach as an approach is practical and a valuable means to improve prescribing by continuing medical education. References 1. Els, C., Jackson, T., Kunyk, D., Lappi, V., Sonnenberg, B., Hagtvedt, R., Sharma, S., Kolahdooz, F. and Straube, S. (2017). Adverse events associated with medium- and long-term use of opioids for chronic non-cancer pain: an overview of Cochrane Reviews. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. This provided the statistic of percentage receiving opioids that present to pain centres. 2. Heit, H. (2010). Tackling the Difficult Problem of Prescription Opioid Misuse. Annals of Internal Medicine, 152(11), p.747. Issues with prescriptions and inappropriate moving up the WHO ladder.


2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 362-374 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas F. Northrup ◽  
Kelley Carroll ◽  
Robert Suchting ◽  
Yolanda R. Villarreal ◽  
Mohammad Zare ◽  
...  

Surgery ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua N. Herb ◽  
Brittney M. Williams ◽  
Kevin A. Chen ◽  
Jessica C. Young ◽  
Brooke A. Chidgey ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Dergham ◽  
Greg Hosier ◽  
Melanie Jaeger ◽  
J. Curtis Nickel ◽  
D. Robert Siemens ◽  
...  

Introduction: Prior studies have identified significant knowledge gaps in acute and chronic pain management among graduating urology residents as of five years ago. Since then, there has been increasing awareness of the impact of excessive opioid prescribing on long-term narcotic use and development of adverse narcotic-related events. However, it is unclear whether the attitudes and experience of graduating urology residents have changed. We set out to evaluate the attitudes and experience of graduating urology residents in prescribing opioid/non-opioid analgesia for acute (AP), chronic non-cancer (CnC), and chronic cancer (CC) pain. Methods: Graduating urology residents were surveyed at a review course in 2018. The survey consisted of open-ended and close-ended five-point Likert scale questions. Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U-test, and Student’s t-test were performed. Results: A total of 32 PGY5 urology residents completed our survey (92% response rate). The vast majority agreed that formal training in managing AP/CnC/CC to be valuable (91/78/81%). Most find their training in CnC/CC management to be inadequate and are unaware of any opioid prescribing guidelines; 66% never counsel patients on how to dispose of excess opioids. In general, 88% are comfortable prescribing opioids, whereas most are very uncomfortable prescribing cannabis or antidepressants (100%/78%). Residents reported the Acute Pain Service as the highest-rated resource for information, and dedicated textbooks the least. Conclusions: This survey demonstrated that experience in pain management remains variable among urology residents. Knowledge gaps remain, particularly in the management of chronic cancer/non-cancer pain.


2020 ◽  
Vol 69 ◽  
pp. 102273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin J. McMichael ◽  
R. Lawrence Van Horn ◽  
W. Kip Viscusi

Author(s):  
Benjamin J. McMichael ◽  
Ray Van Horn ◽  
W. Kip Viscusi

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