Date: 07/13/2018

More than a dozen on-demand lessons on pain management and optimal opioid prescribing are now available through the school of medicine’s Office of Continuing Medical Education.

The offerings include a new six-module course that teaches health care providers how to determine the best use of extended-release and long-acting opioids. The course is part of the Get SMART (Safe Means of Administering the Right Therapy) program, developed by the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in partnership with medical education company DKBmed.

Health care practitioners who take the course, available through Jan. 11, 2019, learn how to assess patients for the most appropriate treatment, manage opioid therapy while minimizing addiction risk, and counsel patients about safe opioid use. Other pain and prescribing classes give health care providers up-to-date information about managing pain for patients with depression, HIV, opioid dependence or lower back pain.

The continuing education office also organizes live lectures on pain management and prescribing, says Todd Dorman, senior associate dean for education coordination.

“Appropriate opioid utilization is critical to mitigating pain while avoiding dependency and addiction,” he says. “Our on-demand courses and lectures try to address the needed balancing act.”

To find on-demand classes and live lectures, go to the continuing medical education website.