Understanding and Compassion: Pain, Addiction and End-of-Life Care

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About the Course:
Physicians and other healthcare professionals are constantly striving to improve care for patients. Certain disease states can present challenging circumstances for the physician to manage: addiction, effective management of painful conditions, and care at the end of life care. This educational activity addresses each of these complicated concerns and examines many tools available to physicians to compassionately and appropriately care for patients experiencing these afflictions.

“This course will fulfill the DEA-mandated 8 hours of training on the treatment and management of patients with opioid or other substance use disorders for DEA licensees renewing on or after June 27, 2023.”

Learning Objectives:
Completion of this course will better enable the course participant to:

  • Explain general trends in the preferences that patients typically have for care at the end of life.
  • Discuss the appropriate role of physicians in managing patients in hospice programs.
  • Describe the advantages and the disadvantages of opioid pain medications in the context of end-of-life pain management.
  • Describe evaluation tools and treatment options for patients in pain.
  • Summarize non-pharmacological treatment modalities for pain.
  • Explain the use of non-opioid treatments for patients in pain
  • Discuss the use of opioids for the treatment of pain.
  • Describe pain management considerations for terminally ill patients.
  • Summarize the causes of addiction and diagnosis of substance use disorders.
  • Discuss the treatment of opioid use disorder, including medically supervised withdrawal, medication-assisted treatment, and overdose management.
  • Review the risk factors, assessment, and treatment of benzodiazepine use disorder.
  • Explain the effects of alcohol on the body as well as screening for and treatment of alcohol withdrawal and alcohol use disorder.

Accreditation Statement
InforMed is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. 

Designation Statement
InforMed designates this enduring material for a maximum of 12 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.