C.O. task force implements acute pain prescribing guidelines

The Central Oregon Pain Standards Task Force formally adopted the Oregon Health Authority’s acute pain guidelines in March, and an upcoming meeting with area providers and surgeons will discuss how best to implement them.

OHA’s guidelines are aimed at patients who are new to opioids, receiving care from dentists, those in emergency room and urgent care settings and primary care physicians, as well as individuals in post procedure/surgical care.

They are not intended for patients who are currently taking opioids or for those with a history of substance use disorder.

Opioids are commonly prescribed after both minor and major surgeries for pain management, and many patients receive their first exposure to opioids following surgery.

“One of the causes of the opioid epidemic is opioid-naïve patients getting exposed to opioids, struggling to stop them postoperatively and then moving on to chronic opioid use,” said Kim Swanson, Ph.D., Chair of the Pain Standards Task Force.

Studies indicate up to 92% of patients have leftover opioids after having common surgeries. Because of this, hospital systems across the country are revamping how they approach pain management for surgical patients by using a more thoughtful approach and relying on more non-opioid pain management strategies that patients report effectively manage their surgical pain.

” Operations hurt, but just giving opioids is not the answer – we have to give the best pain care. There are alternative treatments to opioids that work well, provide patients excellent pain care for procedures and surgeries, and satisfy patients. We should be using them more, ” said Dr. Michael Woll , MD, the medical director of Surgical ICU at St. Charles Bend.

The task force will convene local surgical providers and their staff to an acute pain learning event on Thursday, Oct. 3 where attendees will learn how to adopt the new standards, raise awareness of the risks to patients and introduce other forms of acute pain management treatments that are just as effective and safer.

The event will feature a presentation by Dr. David Parsons, MD, Director of Operations for Hospital Services, Regional Chief Medical Officer, and member a member of the Northwest Permanente Senior Operations Team. To RSVP and for additional event details, visit https://acuteprescribing.eventbrite.com

In 2015, the Central Oregon health care community established the Pain Standards Task Force (a division of the Central Oregon Health Council’s Provider Engagement Panel) with a goal to help clinicians working in surgical, dental, primary care, emergency and urgent care settings make evidenced based-prescribing decisions.

The task force said it is working with medical providers to adopt the new standards, raise awareness of the risks to patients and introduce other forms of acute pain management treatments that are just as effective and safer.