Tools
Safe Prescribing Guidelines
The following guidelines provide a basic framework for approaching pain management, and treatment decision making, in the primary care setting.
Pain Treatment Plans
Treatment plans allow prescribers and patients to discuss expectations regarding the use of pain medications. A policy of starting a pain contract with any patient prescribed chronic opioids eliminates “profiling” patients who are assumed to be more or less likely to abuse their medications.
- Example 1: Pain Treatment Agreement
- Example 2: Controlled Substances Policy and Agreement
Pain Assessment – Brief Pain Inventory (BPI)
The BPI is one of the most widely used clinical pain assessment tools and can be administered via self report or interview. Assessment areas include: severity of pain, impact of pain on daily function, location of pain, pain medications and amount of pain relief in the past 24 hours.
Consult the Prescription Monitoring Program
The prescription monitoring program collects prescription data for Schedule II – V drugs into a central database which can then be used by providers and pharmacists in the active treatment of their patients.
Naloxone Prescription
Used in emergency settings for decades, naloxone reverses opioid overdoses without any side effects beyond opioid withdrawal. With brief and basic training patients and their families can be trained to efficiently identify the signs of overdose and administer naloxone, along with calling 911 and offering rescue breathing. There is more information about offering prescription naloxone at your clinic at www.prescribetoprevent.org
Patient Education Materials
Patient Education, General
Patient Education, Higher Risk
Continuing Medical Education
Minimizing the Risk of Prescription Opioid Misuse
Minimizing the Risk of Prescription Opioid Misuse provides up to four hours of instruction on clinical skills training using examples from pain and addiction patients.
Buprenorphine DATA 2000 Training Program
Training for certification to prescribe buprenorphine for opioid addiction is available online through two sites. Training addresses addiction topics that may be pertinent to any clinician prescribing opioids, or treating patients with an addiction history.