New Training Resource for Safe Opioid Use

The US Department of Health and Human Services has developed a free interactive training course for health care professionals on safe opioid use.

Adverse drug events (ADE) account for 3.5 million physician office visits each year.¹ Additionally, opioids are the leading cause of pharmaceutical overdose deaths.¹ The National Action Plan for ADE Prevention encourages appropriate, safe, and effective use of opioids to manage chronic pain through this new resource, called “Pathways to Safer Opioid Use.”^1,2

This web-based training module enables health care professionals to play the role of primary care physician, nurse, pharmacist, or patient and make decisions controlled regarding opioid-related ADEs. It includes patient counseling points, such as the risk of respiratory depression and the importance of keeping these medications out of reach of family members.

All health care professionals can greatly benefit from this opioid training resource, as it enables them to apply their knowledge to practice-based situations involving opioids.

References:

• US Department of Health and Human Services. National Action Plan for Adverse Drug Event Prevention. Available at: http://health.gov/hcq/pdfs/ADE-Action-Plan-508c.pdf. Accessed June 12, 2015.
• US Department of Health and Human Services. Pathways to Safer Opioid Use. Available at: http://health.gov/hcq/training.asp#pathways. Accessed June 12, 2015.