FOCUS: Functional pain and Opiods " Clinically Useful Strategies

Target Audience
The target audience includes family medicine physicians, emergency physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and other healthcare providers involved in the management of patients experiencing functional pain

Program Overview
Learn how to assess and treat functional pain syndromes caused by nociplastic pain. This course is based on the FDA’s Opioid Analgesic REMS Education Blueprint.

Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this activity, participants should be knowledgeable about:

Understanding the fundamental concepts of pain management, including definitions and mechanisms of pain by comparing nociplastic pain to nociceptive and neuroplastic origins
Assessing patients with pain and identifying potential risk factors for opioid use disorder with an emphasis on FPS
Utilizing the range of therapeutic options for managing pain, including nonpharmacologic approaches and pharmacologic (nonopioid and opioid analgesics) therapies and specific recommendations for nociplastic pain
Integrating opioid analgesics into a pain treatment plan individualized to meet the needs of the patient and when opioids are not indicated
Managing patients on opioid analgesics safely and effectively in the acute and chronic pain settings, including initiating therapy, titrating, and discontinuing use of opioid analgesics, with a focus on discontinuation of opioids in patients with FPS
Counseling patients and caregivers about the use of naloxone for opioid overdose
Referring patients to a pain specialist, as appropriate
Utilizing the fundamental elements of addiction medicine (ie, diagnosis, prevention, evaluation, treatment, and recovery of patients with opioid use disorder)
Identifying and managing the care of patients with opioid use disorder
The 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
The use of naloxone and the importance of its availability for use by patients and caregivers in the community and home.