Prescribing Opioids

Promote the safe, effective use of prescription opioids

PAMI Pain Management and Dosing Guide

The PAMI Pain Management and Dosing Guide is a free tool for use by health care providers in hospital, EMS, or acute care settings. Content was developed after extensive literature review of pain, sedation, and analgesia medications for acute pain, chronic pain and procedural sedation in all ages. The guide was developed and reviewed by a multidisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, pain specialists, and pharmacists. Dosing ranges should be used as a general guide and adapted to specific patient characteristics such as age and comorbidities.

Patient Information Guide: Long-Term Opioid Therapy for Chronic Pain

Highlights responsible use of opioids, benefits and risks of opioid therapy, and self-management tips for patients.

Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs)

Presents an overview of PDMPs for prescribers.

Calculating Total Daily Dose of Opioid for Safer Dosage

Describes the importance of calculating the total daily dosage of opioids and how it should be calculated.

Prescription Opioids: What You Need To Know

Explains the risks and side effects of prescription opioids. Provides information on other options to manage pain that should be discussed with the healthcare provider and additional instructions on what to do if prescribed opioids for pain.

Pregnancy and Opioid Pain Medications

Explains whether opioid pain medications are safe for women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. Provides information about whether these patients should stop taking pain medication if they find out they are pregnant and whether breastfeeding women should continue medication.

Opioid Prescribing Guidelines

Supplies guidelines for 11 medical specialties on the safe and effective use of opioids in the treatment of pain.

CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain – United States, 2016

Provides recommendations for primary care clinicians who are prescribing opioids for chronic pain outside of active cancer treatment, palliative care, and end-of-life care. Addresses timing of opioid use for chronic pain; opioid selection, dosage, duration, followup, and discontinuation; and ways to assess risk and address harms of opioid use.

CDC Opioid Guideline Mobile App

Helps providers apply recommendations to clinical practice by putting the entire guideline, tools, and resources in an app. Includes a morphine milligram equivalent calculator, summaries of key recommendations, a link to the full guideline, and an interactive motivational interviewing feature to help providers practice effective communication skills and prescribe with confidence.

Management of Opioid Therapy (OT) for Chronic Pain

Describes decision points in the management of opioid therapy for chronic pain and provides evidence based recommendations for practitioners throughout the Department of Defense and VA healthcare systems.

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