Opioid Safety

This TMF Quality Innovation Network change package provides a menu of options from which you can select specific interventions to develop an action plan that improves opioid-related outcomes and increases access to behavioral health services.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) updated Overdose Prevention and Response Toolkit provides guidance to a wide range of individuals on preventing and responding to an overdose. The toolkit, designed to augment overdose prevention and reversal training, provides guidance on the role of opioid overdose reversal medications, including naloxone and nalmefene, and how to respond to an overdose.

The Rothman Opioid Foundation's virtual Opioid & Pain Management course includes eight interactive case-based modules designed to cover the essentials of opioid prescribing and pain management. This course is designed primarily for students graduating from health care professions (i.e. medical, physician assistant, nursing, etc.) and beginning medical practice as new prescribers. However, all providers are encourage to explore and share the curriculum.

This article, written by pharmacist coaches from the Compass Opioid Stewardship Certificate Program, shares detailed information about the complimentary pillars of a patient-centered approach to opioid use disorder.

The RADEO Implementation Guide from the Society of Hospital Medicine provides step-by-step guidance to assist hospital teams in implementing a quality improvement program to improve patient safety and reduce opioid-related adverse events for patients receiving opioids.

This webpage from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services provides details regarding Medicare payments for opioid use disorder (OUD) screenings and treatment performed by physicians and non-physician practitioners.

School nurses are leaders in student health, and they have the education and expertise to assist the community and school leadership in assessing the need for and implementing a campus naloxone program. This toolkit offers resources to assist school nurses and other school leaders in evaluating and responding to the drug overdose crisis.

People who start buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder through telehealth are more likely to stay in treatment longer, according to a new study based on Medicaid data in Kentucky and Ohio.

This resource provides information describing what naloxone is, how it works, why it is offered to individuals with an opioid prescription and signs of opioid overdose.

The resource guides pharmacists through the potentially difficult conversation when offering naloxone to patients at risk for opioid overdose.

This presentation discusses strategies and solutions for reducing adverse drug events in vulnerable patient populations.

Part of the American Hospital Association’s series on opioid stewardship, this podcast features Holly Geyer, M.D., hospital internal medicine practitioner sub-specialized in addiction medicine at Mayo Clinic, speaking about the roots of the opioid epidemic and the state and federal requirements — and institutional protocols — for developing solutions.

This data visualization tool from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) provides estimates on “frequent use” and “any use” of opioids among elderly and non-elderly adults during 2015-16 and 2018-19. The visualization allows users to explore the data by age cohort and demographic categories: sex, race/ethnicity, poverty, insurance coverage, health status, region and metropolitan statistical area (MSA).

This tool from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement provides instructions for conducting a retrospective review of patient records using triggers to identify possible adverse drug events. Log-in may be required to access information.

This checklist from the Washington State Hospital Association provides prevention, detection and mitigation strategies for reducing Opioid ADEs in hospital settings.

The POSS tool enables nurses to determine a patient's level of sedation before and after the administration of an opioid medication.

The Richmond Agitation and Sedation Scale is a validated and reliable method to assess a patients' level of sedation in the intensive care unit.

This website, maintained by NEXT Harm Reduction, provides an online resource for securing naloxone as well as state-by-state resources.

This toolkit from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration includes facts on opioid use disorder, guidelines for first responders, information for prescribers, and advice for patients and families.

This fact sheet from the National Institute on Drug Abuse shares information and guidance on naloxone prescribing and use.

Get Naloxone Now is an online resource to train people to respond effectively to an opioid overdose emergency.

Primary care providers account for approximately 50% of prescription opioids dispensed. This tool from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reviews prescribing guidelines and best practices for primary care providers.

This Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tool helps health care providers balance pain management with the potential risks of prescription opioids when treating patients.

This pocket card from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) outlines guidelines and best practices for health care providers in prescribing opioids for the treatment of chronic pain.

This Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tool shares information on preventing an opioid overdose and recognizing the signs and symptoms of opioid overdose.

This tool allows researchers, policymakers, journalists and the public to create county-level maps illustrating the relationship between community and population demographics and fatal drug overdoses, including opioids, in the United States.

In an effort to get evidenced-based treatment to more Americans with opioid use disorder, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is releasing new buprenorphine practice guidelines that remove a requirement tied to certain training certification, which some practitioners have cited as a barrier to treating more people.

Hospitals can use this Relias white paper, a comprehensive look at the deadly epidemic that is straining our health care system and devastating families, to help staff better understand, prevent and treat opioid use disorder.

Hospitals and other health care facilities can download this tool from TMF Health Quality Institute to help them assess their readiness to prevent or react to an adverse drug event.

Hospitals can use this checklist to review current, or initiate new, interventions to prevent ADE in their facilities.

A brief, self-report screening tool designed for use with adult patients in primary care settings to assess risk for opioid abuse among those prescribed opioids for treatment of chronic pain.

The Minnesota Hospital Association provides hospitals and health systems with evidence-based recommendations and standards for the development of opioid safety programs.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) maintains this directory, which lists programs available in the United States. Access your state from the drop-down menu.

This Centers for Disease Control and Prevention fact sheet provides clinical guidance on dosage of opioids for treatment of chronic pain.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Guidelines for Providing Opioids for Chronic Pain are in the palm of your hand with this helpful mobile app.

This guide from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality clinicians with simple strategies for engaging patients in implementing a medication management strategy, including a complete medication list

Medication reconciliation is a complex process that impacts all patients as they move through various health care settings. This toolkit item provides tips for conducting a patient medication interview.

The Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) is an online database of prescribing and dispensing data for patients per state. The PDMP helps identify when a patient obtains multiple prescriptions from different practitioners—which may indicate that the patient is misusing prescription drugs.

Download this tool from the Center to Advance Palliative Care. Some sections of the form should be filled out by the practice’s clinician; other sections should be filled out by the physician.

In this health advisory, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) alerts public health professionals about the country's substantial increase in fatal drug overdoses driven by synthetic opioids before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This research study suggest that outpatient medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) may be less likely than inpatient care to be associated with later overdose or hospitalization

This toolkit developed by the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA), Office of Women's Health provides resources and information to bolster care coordination services for women with opioid use disorder.

The American Hospital Association presents several best practices, guidelines and literature related to opioid stewardship, including a menu of 30 ranked quality improvement measures.

This toolkit by the American Hospital Association provides guidance, specific resources and successful case studies to hospitals and health care systems on working with patients, clinicians and communities to address the nation’s opioid epidemic.

Discussions about opioid use can be difficult for a variety of reasons. This video highlights techniques pharmacists and other health care providers can use to guide the conversation, keep it professional and lead to a positive outcome.