Recognizing and Managing Opioid Misuse

CME Certificate Fee: $25.00 per credit (hour)

1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)^TM
Estimated time to complete this activity: 1.00 hours

Lead Author(s): Thomas Elliott, M.D.
The author(s)/contributor(s) state that they do not have any financial arrangements that could constitute a conflict of interest.
Detailed Information >>

Meets Special CME Requirements in: California, Iowa, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont Learn More >>

Course Learning Objectives:

Manage patients with chronic pain.
Recognize and respond to drug-seeking behaviors.
Implement procedures that will reduce the risk of abuse and diversion.

Learning Format: Case-based, interactive online course, including mandatory assessment questions (number of questions varies by course or module). Please also read the Technical Requirements.

CME Sponsor: University of Arizona College of Medicine at the Arizona Health Sciences Center
Credit Designation and Accreditation Statements >>

Current Approval Period: December 15, 2011 - December 14, 2013

Original Release Date: December 15, 2009

Most Recent Review by Author: December 15, 2011

Most Recent Review by CME Sponsor: December 15, 2011

Financial Support Received: None

Recognizing and Managing Opioid Misuse

1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)^TM

Current Approval Period: December 15, 2011 - December 14, 2013

Financial Support Received: None

ACCME/AMA PRA Accreditation Statement

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and Policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint sponsorship of The University of Arizona College of Medicine at the Arizona Health Sciences Center and Medical Directions, Inc. The University of Arizona College of Medicine at the Arizona Health Sciences Center is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The University of Arizona College of Medicine at the Arizona Health Sciences Center designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)^TM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

The comments and opinions expressed herein are those of the authors of this program and are in no way to be considered comments or opinions of The University of Arizona College of Medicine at the Arizona Health Sciences Center.

Approval for CME credit by The University of Arizona College of Medicine at the Arizona Health Sciences Center should not be construed as endorsement of any product.

Any author disclosures regarding commercial relationships are listed in the author's biography.

University of Arizona CME Office Contact Information and CME Disclosure

University of Arizona College of Medicine
Office of Continuing Medical Education
520-626-7832
uofacme@email.arizona.edu

The following CME Office Reviewer states that neither he nor any immediate family members have any financial arrangements that could constitute a conflict of interest with the proposed activity:

John M. Harris Jr., MD, MBA

Recognizing and Managing Opioid Misuse

About the Author

Thomas Elliott, MD
Clinical Professor of Medicine
University of Minnesota, Duluth, School of Medicine

Dr. Elliott is the Medical Director of the Pain Management Center and Chief of Education and Research at St. Mary's/Duluth Clinic Health System in Duluth, Minnesota. He is also Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Minnesota, Duluth School of Medicine.

Dr. Elliott is certified in Internal Medicine, Hematology/Medical Oncology, and Hospice and Palliative Medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine. He is nationally known for his work in pain management education and his research in pain treatment, including his work as CEO of the Minnesota Cancer Pain Initiative. He has written extensively on the need for improved medical education in pain management.

Disclosure: Dr. Elliott states that he does not have any financial arrangements that could constitute a conflict of interest.

About the Editor

John Harris Jr., M.D., M.B.A.
Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine
University of Arizona, College of Medicine

Dr. Harris is Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the College of Medicine of the University of Arizona. He is the President of Medical Directions, Inc. Dr. Harris has served as the Principal Investigator on multiple NIH-funded studies of online CME. He is the Senior Editor of The Virtual Lecture Hall's online CME programs and the author of a number of professional papers dealing with online CME.

Disclosure: Dr. Harris states that he does not have any financial arrangements that could constitute a conflict of interest.

Recognizing and Managing Opioid Misuse

Ratings (943 responses)


How would you rate this program overall? Average Rating: 4.40/5.00

How well were the learning objectives of this program met? Average Rating: 4.50/5.00

How relevant was the information in this program to your clinical practice? Average Rating: 3.93/5.00

Likelihood you will make a change in practice behavior based on your participation in this activity. Average Rating: 3.00/5.00

User Comments


by Lou Smith \| May 20, 2013 Lots of great resources

by Hidden \| Apr 28, 2013 I would rather download hard copy of everything, read it, then answer questions. That would have been a much more efficient use of my time. The material was excellent and I downloaded some good information. But the process took forever.

by Hidden \| Mar 24, 2013 It seems odd that this case started with prescribing opioids on the first visit. In general I never prescribe opioids for chronic pain on the first visit. Especially given that the patient has an established relationship with a rheumatologist I would definitely speak to them/get records before prescribing, and given that the pain has been going on for 7-10 years I'm not sure what the hurry is to prescribe narcotics on the first visit. The patient also reported drinking a couple of whiskey's a night so I definitely would have explored that before prescribing. The activity would have been a lot more valuable to me if there was an option to a) not prescribe on the first visit and then get records/speak to the rheumatologist first and b) talk about the alcohol use. Then I would have been starting with a more realistic situation and could have learned more from the activity. view response

by Thomas Morgan \| Dec 27, 2012 I think the program should include advice about post-op narcotic usage and long-term use in cancer patients.

by Hidden \| Dec 1, 2012 Highly geared toward a non-emergency type of practice, and therefore less relevant to my every day work, but still highly informative.

by Hidden \| Nov 1, 2012 Balanced Helpful Well Referenced

Recognizing and Managing Opioid Misuse

This course meets general AMA PRA Category 1 CME Credit(s)^TM requirements in states that have a CME requirement.

Based on information from state licensing authorities, this program meets special CME requirements in these states:

	California Pain Management
	Iowa Chronic Pain Management
	Massachusetts Opiod Education/Pain Management May be counted as risk management credits.
	Massachusetts Risk Management
	Mississippi Prescribing Controlled Substances
	Oregon Pain Management / Terminally Ill / End-of-life
	Pennsylvania Risk Management / Patient Safety
	Rhode Island Pain Management / End-of-life Care
	Tennessee Prescribing Practices These courses both meet the 1-credit requirement for a course designed specifically to address prescribing practices.
	Texas Pain Management (pain clinics) These courses meet the pain management CME requirement for pain management clinics.
	Vermont Prescribing of Controlled Substances

View other courses meeting Special State Requirements

Recognizing and Managing Opioid Misuse

Technical Requirements

This web-based activity is offered online and requires a connection to the Internet. The activity works on a PC or Macintosh computer with the browsers Internet Explorer 7.0 and up, Firefox 2.0, AOL 9.x and up, and Safari 2.x and up. JavaScript should be enabled in all browsers, and Popups and first party cookies need to be accepted from www.VLH.com. You should also have the latest, free Adobe Reader installed for reading documents. (AOL dial-up modem users may experience lengthy delays downloading PDF files.)

For additional information, read the Technical Assistance FAQ.