We know that the process of prescribing medicine can be complex. And it isn’t always easy to tell whether opioid prescriptions are being misused. If you do think a patient is misusing or addicted to opioids, address the issue right away.
Here are a few things you can do to help as a provider:
- Take the Safe Prescriber Pledge. (see below for more information on the Pledge)
- Register and use the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program.
- Know the signs of addiction.
- Take the Scope of Pain online training. There, you can learn more about how to safely manage patients with chronic pain, including when and how to prescribe opioid therapy.
- Learn evidence-based approaches, like motivational interviewing, to intervene with a patient. Motivational interviewing is a patient-centered counseling technique that helps elicit and solidify a person’s motivation for change.
- Implement Screening Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) in your office. SBIRT is an evidence-based method for intervening with risky substance use and getting patients into treatment.
Safe Prescriber Pledge
The Safe Prescriber Pledge is a project of the Healthcare Solutions Committee. Medical professionals who sign the Pledge are supporting the public health of the region by adopting practices that ensure safe prescribing practices of potentially addictive medications.
Click here for a copy of the Safe Prescriber Pledge Roster
Click here for a copy of the Pledge for Short-Term Prescribers
Click here for a copy of the Drug and Alcohol Treatment and Recovery Resources for Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region