Overview
Effective pain management requires clinicians to balance the need to relieve pain, improve function, and support quality of life with the potential risks associated with opioid therapy. This session will provide an overview of evidence-informed best practices for treating acute, subacute, and chronic pain, guided by the CDC Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Pain.
Participants will examine key considerations for determining whether and how opioids should be incorporated into an individualized pain treatment plan, including the use of nonopioid and nonpharmacologic therapies, opioid selection and dosage, treatment duration, follow-up, and strategies for reducing potential harms. The session will emphasize shared decision-making, patient-centered care, and the importance of avoiding the rigid or inflexible application of clinical recommendations. Participants will leave with practical knowledge to support safer, more effective, and individualized pain care across diverse clinical settings.
This session topic is part of a series presented by the PACT Coalition for Safe and Drug-Free Communities o address substance misuse through the Strategic Prevention Framework community-based process and work in collaboration with its members and partners to address policy, system and environmental change. To view all session topics available in this series, please click on PACT Coalition for Safe and Drug-Free Communities Program Series.