Description

Approximately 70% of US nursing home residents with chronic pain are regularly prescribed opioids, yet studies and guidelines on medication use in older adults warn that these drugs may have particularly adverse effects—and may even be largely ineffective as pain treatment—in this vulnerable population. Opioids and ineffective pain management can contribute to the worsening of residents’ quality of life and nursing homes’ quality measures, including pain, falls, weight loss, and depression. This webinar will review published guidelines on opioid use, and describe the importance of alternative pain treatment customized to residents’ individual needs using both nonpharmacological and non-opioid treatments for pain management.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the role of Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organizations (QIN-QIOs) in improving healthcare quality
  
• Explain the relationship between opioids and nursing home quality measures
• Describe a virtual collaborative model for conducting a performance improvement project in a team with multiple nursing homes
• Summarize best practices for identifying specific pain indications and tailoring pain treatment to the needs of individual residents

Speaker(s):

• Amanda Ryan, PharmD, BCGP, Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, atom Alliance
• Sarah Sutherland, RT(R), MBA, Quality Improvement Advisor, atom Alliance
• Lindsey Jett, CPhT, MALT, Quality Improvement Advisor, atom Alliance