The Mayo Clinic Opioid Conference: Evidence, Clinical Considerations and Best Practice 2024 aims to highlight the shift in guidelines and public concern regarding the use of opioids in medical practice. This course provides the most up-to-date information regarding the appropriate indication for opioids in clinical practice. Topics cover the basics of opioid pharmacology and selection, evidence-based guidelines for opioid management, opioid tapering and legal considerations, as well as medical and interventional alternatives to opioids. In addition, the course covers a broad range of issues, including opioid use disorder and difficult patient conversations and guidelines to standardize the practice of opioid prescribing. This course includes lectures by experts in the field of pain medicine and opioid management as well as question and answer sessions.

This continuing education activity satisfies the new one-time, eight-hour training requirement for all Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)-registered practitioners. Learners should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Target Audience

This topic is important and has become a more visible public health issue. All fields within medicine that provide direct patient care are impacted, including medical, surgical and outpatient settings. All providers who prescribe (MD, DO, NP, PA, CNS) or administer (nurse, pharmacist, etc.) opioids to patients would benefit from attending this course. This course is particularly relevant for primary care providers that maintain and monitor patients on chronic opioid therapy.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:

Discuss current state of the opioid epidemic.

Describe the implications of CDC Opioid Prescribing Guidelines in various phases of care.

Formulate strategies on how to have conversations with patients with challenging pain conditions such as pain sensitization and unexpected urine drug testing results.

Discuss best practices on tapering opioids in clinical practice.

Review non-opioid adjuvant procedural and pharmacological therapy for pain management.

Review legal requirements regarding opioid prescribing.

Review regulatory guidelines regarding opioid prescribing.

Discuss the use of buprenorphine for pain management.

Discuss the use of buprenorphine for opioid use disorder along with its effects on transitions of care.

Speakers: Benjamin Lai, M.B., B.Ch., B.A.O., Julie L. Cunningham, Pharm.D., R.PH., Oludare, Olatoye, M.D.