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Jun 6 2014

Free CME on Safe Prescribing of Extended-Release and Long-Acting Opioids

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Over the last two decades, the use of opioids for the treatment of chronic, non-cancer pain has increased significantly. Opioids are very potent analgesics that may work when other approaches to treating a patient’s pain have failed. But the use of these drugs introduces risks, which include misuse, abuse, addiction, overdose, diversion, and death.

A growing body of evidence suggests that physicians and other prescribers must be extremely vigilant about these risks, should they choose to prescribe ER/LA opioids.

To provide prescribers with comprehensive, up-to-date training and educational resources, a free CME activity for prescribing ER and LA opioid medications is now available online. The "Extended-Release and Long-Acting Opioids: Assessing Risks, Safe Prescribing" activity is offered FREE and qualifies for Continuing Medical Education AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™ and AOA Category 2B Credit(s).

Developed and implemented by the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Center for Continuing Education, Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and the FSMB Foundation, CECity, and The France Foundation, “ER/LA Opioids: Assessing Risks, Safe Prescribing” provides the help clinicians need.

About the program:

• Content based on the work of the nation’s leading experts in opioid prescribing and patient risk assessment
• FREE, user-friendly online webinar and other resources that can be accessed at any time
• Strong emphasis on better understanding opioid prescribing and building risk assessment into prescribing practices
• Six clinical-practice modules offer a consistent and reliable approach to safe prescribing

What you’ll learn:

• How to appropriately assess patients for the treatment of pain with ER/LA opioid analgesics, including analyzing risks versus potential benefits
• How to assess patients’ risk of abuse, including substance use and psychiatric history
• How to identify state and federal regulations on opioid prescribing
• Effective strategies for starting therapy, modifying dosing or discontinuing use of ER/LA opioid analgesics in patients with pain
• New ways of managing ongoing therapy with ER/LA opioid analgesics
• How to incorporate effective counseling of patients and caregivers
• Valuable product-specific drug information related to ER/LA opioid analgesics

Who should participate:

ER/LA Opioids: Assessing Risks, Safe Prescribing is available for ANY health care provider who prescribes opioids, but its educational content is focused particularly on the needs of clinicians who are:

• Registered with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration
• Eligible to prescribe Schedule 2 and 3 drugs
• Have written at least one ER/LA opioid prescription in the past year

How to participate:

Visit this website to participate in this FREE online CME activity.

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