Changing Residents' Beliefs and Concerns about Treating Chronic Noncancer Pain with Opioids: Evaluation of a Pilot Workshop

Training in Safe Opioid Prescribing and Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder in Internal Medicine Residencies: a National Survey of Program Directors

BACKGROUND

Training future clinicians in safe opioid prescribing (SOP) and treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) is critical to address the opioid epidemic. The Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education requires all programs to provide instruction and experience in pain management and will mandate addiction medicine clinical experiences for internal medicine trainees.

OBJECTIVE

Assess residents' training in SOP and treatment of OUD and identify training barriers.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional nationally representative survey was emailed in 2019.

PARTICIPANTS

Four hundred twenty-two Association of Program Directors in Internal Medicine members in US internal medicine residency programs.

MAIN MEASURES

Program opportunities and challenges to developing or implementing training in SOP, treatment of OUD, and buprenorphine waiver training, and perceived curricular effectiveness.

KEY RESULTS

The response rate was 69.4% (293/422). Most programs required didactics in SOP (94.2%) and treatment of OUD (71.7%). Few programs required clinical experiences including addiction medicine clinics (28/240, 11.7%), inpatient consult services (11/240, 4.6%), or offsite treatment rotations (8/240, 3.3%). Lack of trained faculty limited developing or implementing curricula (61.5%). Few respondents reported that their program was "very effective" in teaching SOP (80/285, 28.1%) or treatment of OUD (43/282, 15.3%). Some programs offered buprenorphine waiver training to residents (83/286, 29.0%) and faculty (94/286, 32.9%) with few mandating training (11.7% (28/240) and 5.4% (13/240) respectively). Only 60 of 19,466 (0.3%) residents completed buprenorphine waiver training. Primary care programs/tracks were more likely to offer waiver training to residents (odds ratio [OR], 3.07; 95% CI, 1.68-5.60; P < 0.001) and faculty (OR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.01-3.22; P = 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

In this nationally representative survey, few internal medicine residency programs provided clinical training in SOP and treatment of OUD, and training was not viewed as very effective. Lack of effective training may have adverse implications for patients, clinicians, and society.

Chaperone Use During Plastic Surgery Physical Examinations: Nationwide Provider Practices and Impact of Level of Training

BACKGROUND

Medical chaperones often play an important role during physical examinations, providing patient comfort and serving as medicolegal witness. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare practices regarding chaperone use by plastic surgery attendings and trainees.

METHODS

A voluntary survey was distributed to members of the American Council of Academic Plastic Surgeons. The survey included a standardized set of questions regarding physician demographics, nature of practice training, and current practices pertaining to chaperone use. Data were analyzed in a descriptive fashion. Ordinal logistic regression models were used to identify predictors of chaperone use.

RESULTS

We received 167 responses, of which 107 (64.1%) were attendings and 60 (35.9%) were trainees. In total, 78.3% of the respondents were male and 21.7% were female. Routine use of chaperones was reported at 58.6%. Compared with plastic surgery trainees, attending surgeons were 12.8 times more likely to use a chaperone during sensitive examinations (P < 0.001). In addition, male respondents were 6.43 times more likely than their female counterparts to involve a chaperone during sensitive examinations (P < 0.001). Forty-eight percent of the trainees acknowledged receiving education regarding chaperone use, and this cohort was 7 times more likely to use a chaperone when compared with trainees who had not received chaperone instruction (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlights the wide variability of chaperone use among plastic surgery attendings and trainees. Integration and standardization of chaperone education within plastic surgery training may be an effective technique to promote this practice and lead to improved patient-provider clinical experiences.

A Systematic Review of Pain Management Education in Graduate Medical Education

BACKGROUND

Despite the importance of pain management across specialties and the effect of poor management on patients, many physicians are uncomfortable managing pain. This may be related, in part, to deficits in graduate medical education (GME).

OBJECTIVE

We sought to evaluate the methodological rigor of and summarize findings from literature on GME interventions targeting acute and chronic non-cancer pain management.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review by searching PubMed, MedEdPORTAL, and ERIC (Education Resources Information Center) to identify studies published before March 2019 that had a focus on non-cancer pain management, majority of GME learners, defined educational intervention, and reported outcome. Quality of design was assessed with the Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument (MERSQI) and Newcastle-Ottawa Scale-Education (NOS-E). One author summarized educational foci and methods.

RESULTS

The original search yielded 6149 studies; 26 met inclusion criteria. Mean MERSQI score was 11.6 (SD 2.29) of a maximum 18; mean NOS-E score was 2.60 (SD 1.22) out of 6. Most studies employed a single group, pretest-posttest design (n=16, 64%). Outcomes varied: 6 (24%) evaluated reactions (Kirkpatrick level 1), 12 (48%) evaluated learner knowledge (level 2), 5 (20%) evaluated behavior (level 3), and 2 (8%) evaluated patient outcomes (level 4). Interventions commonly focused on chronic pain (n=18, 69%) and employed traditional lectures (n=16, 62%) and case-based learning (n=14, 54%).

CONCLUSIONS

Pain management education research in GME largely evaluated chronic pain management interventions by assessing learner reactions or knowledge at single sites.

Hospital care for opioid use disorder in pregnancy: Challenges and opportunities identified from a Minnesota survey

Objectives:

The prevalence of opioid use disorder continues to rise in the United States, with a simultaneous increase in the diagnosis of both opioid use disorder during pregnancy and neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome. Despite these increases in pregnancy-related care, little is known about hospital policy and policy implementation related to opioid use disorder in pregnancy. In addition, it is unknown whether policies might differ in rural or urban hospitals. To better examine these issues, Minnesota hospitals were surveyed regarding the existence and implementation of policies related to opioid use disorder in pregnancy and whether any policy implementation challenges had been identified.

Methods:

From August to December 2017, the research team contacted all Minnesota hospitals that offered obstetric services (n = 82) to survey challenges to implementing policies for opioid use disorder during pregnancy, among other questions. Fifty-nine hospitals had respondents (primarily obstetric department supervisors) who provided information about policy implementation challenges for a 72% response rate. Qualitative responses were analyzed using qualitative description and according to hospital location: metropolitan (urban), micropolitan (rural), or non-core (rural).

Results:

Ninety-one percent of respondents said that they had pregnancies affected by opioid use disorder at their hospital within the last year. Four major challenges to policy implementation were identified in qualitative responses: (1) provider consensus, (2) patient response to policy, (3) lack of resources, and (4) low frequency of occurrence. All four challenges were more frequently identified by respondents at rural hospitals compared to urban hospitals.

Conclusion:

This study identified challenges in standardizing hospital care for pregnancies affected by opioid use disorder, and these challenges were identified more frequently in rural locations. These non-urban hospitals may require increased state and federal support and funding.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Survey of Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Noncancer Pain in Taiwan-Comparison of Pain and Non-Pain Physicians

BACKGROUND

Prescribing opioids for chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) has been strictly regulated in Taiwan. This study was undertaken to survey pain and non-pain related physicians' knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding prescribing opioids for CNCP.

METHODS

A questionnaire survey was conducted in this comparison study. All 66 physicians who were treating officially registered CNCP outpatients were visited and completed anonymous questionnaires. The other physicians (anesthesiologists, oncologists, and non-pain physicians) were surveyed by a mailed questionnaire.

RESULTS

A total of 266 (75%) questionnaires were received from 355 board-certified physicians. More CNCP physicians (81.8%) and anesthesiologists (69.7%) had received prior CNCP-related training courses than had oncologists (21.2%) and non-pain physicians (10.3%). Varied proportions of physicians by type were unfamiliar with the Taiwan opioid regulations (16.7-86.8%) and would accordingly skip or reduce dosage of opioid prescriptions (27.3-73.5%). In addition, non-pain physicians had a significantly lower knowledge level, more negative attitudes, and greater hesitation about prescribing opioids compared to the pain-related physicians (P < 0.001). CNCP physicians who had received CNCP-related training courses had a higher knowledge score than did those not receiving training (P = 0.002). Overall, the leading barriers for prescribing opioids were inadequate knowledge of pain management (76%), physician reluctance (73%), and family reluctance (78%).

CONCLUSION

There are substantial knowledge gaps, negative attitudes, and hesitation toward prescribing long-term opioids for CNCP patients by physicians in Taiwan, suggesting that efforts are needed to improve postgraduate education regarding adequate opioid management for CNCP.

Opioid-Prescribing Practices in Plastic Surgery: A Juxtaposition of Attendings and Trainees

BACKGROUND

The rates of opioid abuse and overdose in America have risen in parallel with the rates of opioid prescribing by physicians. As such, we sought to examine the prescribing practices among plastic surgery attendings and trainees to determine the need for more thorough education.

METHODS

A survey was distributed to all ACGME-accredited plastic surgery residency programs and included questions regarding opioid-prescribing practices and self-rated ability pertaining to opioid management. Trends in prescribing practices based on prescriber position were analyzed using cumulative odds ordinal logistic regression with proportional odds and Chi-squared tests for ordinal and nominal variables, respectively.

RESULTS

We received 78 responses with a wide geographical representation from plastic surgery residency programs: 59% of respondents were male and 39.7% female, 29.5% were attendings, 26.9% senior residents, 29.5% junior residents, and 14.1% interns. Compared with attendings, interns prescribe fewer pills (p < 0.05) and were significantly more likely to prescribe oxycodone (p < 0.03). Junior residents were 4.49 times more likely (p = 0.012) and senior residents 3.65 times more likely (p = 0.029) to prescribe additional opioids to avoid phone calls and follow-up visits. Interns and senior residents were significantly less comfortable than attendings in managing patients requesting additional opioids (p < 0.02).

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this survey demonstrate that knowledge deficits do exist among trainees, and that trainees are significantly less comfortable than their attending counterparts with opioid prescribing and patient management. Therefore, the implementation of a thorough postoperative pain management education in residency may be a cogent strategy in mitigating the opioid crisis.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III

This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.

Effective Chronic Pain Management and Responsible Opioid Prescribing: Aligning a Resident Workshop to a Protocol for Improved Outcomes

INTRODUCTION

Effective chronic pain management is a core competency of internal medicine. Opioid use in the United States, both therapeutic and nonmedical in origin, has dramatically increased, as has the number of deaths due to opioid overdose. Despite this, formal training in pain management and responsible opioid prescribing is lacking for internal medicine residents.

METHODS

Our educational workshop for PGY 1-PGY 3 internal medicine residents was designed to provide a functional knowledge base and improve motivation to change behaviors in chronic pain management and responsible opioid prescribing. A secondary aim was to align our intervention with our new clinic opioid-prescribing protocol with the goal of increasing the adoption of opioid risk-reduction strategies in our resident clinic, specifically, use of urine drug screening (UDS). We collected data using pre- and postsession knowledge and motivation to change questionnaires as well as pre- and postintervention data regarding UDS in our ambulatory clinic.

RESULTS

Sixty-three residents participated in a workshop session. Based on pre- to posttest results, medical knowledge of principles of responsible opioid prescribing increased overall (p = .01). Most residents reported high motivation to change behaviors around management of chronic pain and opioid prescribing. There was also a significant postintervention ordering of UDS in patients on long-term opioid therapy.

DISCUSSION

Our workshop resulted in a short-term improvement in knowledge of principles of responsible opioid prescribing, a significant motivation to change behaviors, and increased adoption of opioid risk-reduction strategies in our resident clinic.

Transitioning Florida NPs to opioid prescribing

Prior to statutory changes in prescriptive authority for controlled substances, this study examined the knowledge gaps and prescribing limitations of Florida advanced registered nurse practitioners regarding opioids. Study results revealed statistically significant knowledge gaps in the areas of federal and state guidelines; opioid classes and proper doses; risk assessment skills; monitoring of treatment; and confidence in dealing with challenges of opioid prescribing.

From Opiophobia to Overprescribing: A Critical Scoping Review of Medical Education Training for Chronic Pain

BACKGROUND

Chronic pain is a significant health problem strongly associated with a wide range of physical and mental health problems, including addiction. The widespread prevalence of pain and the increasing rate of opioid prescriptions have led to a focus on how physicians are educated about chronic pain. This critical scoping review describes the current literature in this important area, identifying gaps and suggesting avenues for further research starting from patients' standpoint.

METHODS

A search of the ERIC, MEDLINE, and Social Sciences Abstracts databases, as well as 10 journals related to medical education, was conducted to identify studies of the training of medical students, residents, and fellows in chronic noncancer pain.

RESULTS

The database and hand-searches identified 545 articles; of these, 39 articles met inclusion criteria and underwent full review. Findings were classified into four inter-related themes. We found that managing chronic pain has been described as stressful by trainees, but few studies have investigated implications for their well-being or ability to provide empathetic care. Even fewer studies have investigated how educational strategies impact patient care. We also note that the literature generally focuses on opioids and gives less attention to education in nonpharmacological approaches as well as nonopioid medications.

DISCUSSION

The findings highlight significant discrepancies between the prevalence of chronic pain in society and the low priority assigned to educating future physicians about the complexities of pain and the social context of those afflicted. This suggests the need for better pain education as well as attention to the "hidden curriculum."

Opioid prescribing habits of physicians in Kwara State, Nigeria

OBJECTIVE

Although opioid analgesics are effective in the treatment of moderate to severe acute, cancer and chronic non-malignant pains, they are under-prescribed in Nigeria. The objective of this study was to assess the prescription pattern of opioids among physicians in a north central State, Nigeria..

DESIGN

This was a descriptive cross sectional study.

SETTING

The study was conducted at the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP)-sponsored workshops on pain and palliative care at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria.

PARTICIPANTS

These were physicians at the monthly workshops organized by the Pain and Palliative Care Unit of the hospital between August 2011 and July, 2012.

INTERVENTIONS

Pre-tested semi-structured questionnaires were used to obtain responses to questions on pain management including opioids utilization in the various hospitals of the 114 participants.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The main outcome measure was opioid prescription by the participants.

RESULTS

Out of the 114 questionnaires distributed, 113 were returned with complete information giving a response rate of 99.1%. The mean age of the respondents was 42.0±10.8 years. Although 97.3% of the respondents reported that pain was a frequent complaint in their practice, 69.5% of those who reported seeing patients with moderate to severe pain on a daily basis rarely or never prescribed opioid analgesics. The reasons given for poor opioid prescription were fear of respiratory depression (86.8%), fear of addiction (85.1%) and non-availability (28.9%).

CONCLUSION

Opioid prescription rate for patients with moderate-severe pain is low possibly due to myths and misconceptions about their adverse effects.

FUNDING

International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) Initiative for Improving Pain Education Grant awarded to Dr. K.W. Wahab in 2011.

Physicians' Perception of Sickle-cell Disease Pain

The aim of this study was to evaluate the physician's perception of pain experienced by patients with sickle-cell disease (SCD). Pain experiences reported by patients were compared with physicians' perception of the patient's pain, and the treatment decision-making process was evaluated. Fifty-two patient-physician pairs were assessed. Before the clinic visit, the patients completed a 3-item on pain experienced 24 h prior to the visit and the PHQ-9. After the patient visit, the physicians completed a questionnaire assessing their perception of the patient's pain and a questionnaire on the factors taken into consideration when evaluating the patient's pain experience. The physicians rated the patients' pain as more intense than did the patients themselves; and there was agreement between pain intensity measurements (p < 0.05). The physicians' perception was influenced by the pain intensity reported by the patient, results of blood count at the time of the patient visit, and medication availability in the public health services. However, these factors were not predictive of the patient's pain intensity perceived by the physician. Patients' depressive symptoms were not predictive factor of the physicians' perception. Biochemical, genetic and symptomatic characteristics of SCD influenced the physicians' perception of the patient's pain experience, while psychosocial aspects did not.

Improving Residents' Safe Opioid Prescribing for Chronic Pain Using an Objective Structured Clinical Examination

BACKGROUND

Internal medicine residents care for a sizable number of patients with chronic pain. Programs need educational strategies to promote safe opioid prescribing.

OBJECTIVE

To describe a safe opioid prescribing education program utilizing an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) and report the resulting impact on residents' knowledge, confidence, and self-reported practices.

METHODS

Using a quasi-experimental design, 39 internal medicine residents from an urban academic medical center were assigned to 1 of 4 groups: 1-hour lecture only, lecture followed by immediate OSCE, lecture followed by 4-month delayed OSCE, and control. Safe opioid prescribing knowledge, confidence, and self-reported practices were assessed at baseline and at 8 months.

RESULTS

At 8 months, knowledge, confidence, and self-reported practices improved in the control and in all 3 intervention groups. The immediate OSCE group had the greatest improvements in combined confidence scores within group (0.74, P = .01) compared to controls (0.52, P = .05), using a 5-point scale. This group also had the greatest improvement in self-reported practice changes (1.04, P = .04), while other groups showed nonsignificant improvements-delayed OSCE (0.43, P = .44), lecture only (0.66, P = .24), and control (0.43, P = .19).

CONCLUSIONS

Safe opioid prescribing education that includes a lecture immediately followed by an OSCE had an impact on residents' confidence and self-reported practices greater than those for delayed OSCE or lecture only groups. There was no difference in knowledge improvement among the groups. Lecture followed by an OSCE was highly regarded by residents, but required additional resources.