Resources: Prescriber Education

Provides evidence-based information, guidance, clinical tools, training, and other resources on the safe and effective prescription of opioids to treat chronic pain in primary care and outpatient settings. Addresses patient-centered clinical practices, including accurate assessments, evaluation of treatment options, initiating opioid treatment and determining dosages, risk monitoring, safely ending opioid treatment, and health equity and disparities in the treatment of pain.

Offers states information and advice regarding strategies to combat the opioid crisis using technology, as well as potential funding opportunities for these efforts. Discusses implementing prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) to track and facilitate the safe prescription of opioid medications and increasing data-driven approaches, interoperability, and telehealth services to improve care coordination among healthcare professionals.

Collaborates with tribal stakeholders across the U.S. to address issues related to the treatment of chronic pain and the use of heroin and prescription opioids among tribal populations. Works to promote appropriate and effective pain management, reduce opioid overdose deaths, and improve access to culturally appropriate substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery services for American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Workgroup focus areas include prescriber support, treatment and recovery, harm reduction, program effectiveness metrics, technical assistance, and communications.

Provides an overview of a 2017 pilot project to enhance the ability of local health departments (LHDs) to address opioid use and reduce the occurrence of fatal and non-fatal overdose in their communities by working more effectively with state and local partners. Summarizes project activities and goals and gives a brief introduction to the four pilot sites: Bell County, Kentucky; Hillsborough County, New Hampshire; Montgomery County, Ohio; and Boone County, West Virginia.

Provides a dataset with comparisons of the number and percentage of Medicaid opioid prescriptions from each state. Includes an interactive mapping tool and resources for understanding and using the data.

Provides a dataset with comparisons of the number and percentage of Medicare Part D opioid prescriptions at the state, county, and ZIP code level. Includes an interactive mapping tool and resources for understanding and using the data.

Interactive maps showing the geographic distribution in the U.S. of estimated retail pharmacy dispensed opioid prescriptions per 100 persons per year from 2019–2023. Data is provided nationally at both the state and county level.

Allows local organizations, providers, state and local health departments, and other stakeholders to add a free, customizable version of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) opioid overdose website to their own websites. Helps communities disseminate online, current CDC opioid information and resources, as well as training on the CDC guidelines for prescribing opioids for chronic pain.

Toolkit sharing field guidance, resources, and presentations to support clinical decisions about starting, continuing, or tapering opioid therapy, and other challenges related to safe opioid prescribing. Includes patient and provider education, clinical tools, and other resources.

Offers comprehensive information and resources on the use of prescription opioids, managing chronic pain, and opioid use disorder (OUD) for patients and providers, specifically for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities and Indian Health Service (IHS) providers. Includes online tools, technical assistance resources, guides, and training for patients and providers on topics such as opioid crisis data, opioid prevention, proper pain management, opioid prescribing/stewardship, culturally appropriate practices, maternal health, harm reduction, naloxone use, drug checking, child health and wellness, medication-assisted treatment (MAT), tele-MAT, trauma-informed care, best practices, supportive services, wellness courts, and training opportunities. Resource is an initiative of the IHS Alcohol and Substance Abuse Branch (ASAB).

Provides a brief overview of the issue of opioid overdoses in rural areas and offers public health policy and strategy options to help communities prevent and reduce rural opioid overdose deaths. Includes case studies describing interventions implemented in 3 states.

Provides guidance to policymakers, communities, and key stakeholders to develop and implement system- and practice-level changes to reduce opioid overdose deaths. Presents results from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative's HEALing Communities Study. Outlines priority populations and 19 evidence-based interventions to prevent and reduce opioid related overdose deaths. Offers resources on various topics related opioid overdose and highlights model programs, including those serving rural areas.

Offers healthcare professionals evidence-based training, education, and resources to treat patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD). Provides free training to clinicians, pharmacists, peers, and substance use disorder counselors to enhance their ability to identify and treat individuals with AUD, including the use of medications for alcohol use disorder (MAUD).

Offers healthcare professionals evidence-based training, education, and resources to treat patients with opioid use disorder (OUD). Provides free medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) training for physicians, physician assistants (PA), advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), medical students, and other healthcare professionals. Training is available in on-demand, online, or in-person formats.

Provides literature reviews on rural health priorities identified in the Rural Healthy People 2030 survey. Includes chapters on the issues of addiction, rural substance misuse, mental health and mental disorders, chronic pain, and more. Seeks to inform rural policymakers, providers, advocates, and other stakeholders to promote the health of people living in rural communities.

Provides information and resources to help states and local communities building media campaigns to increase awareness and educate the public on the dangers of prescription opioids by sharing the stories of people impacted by them. Offers videos, radio spots, social media posts, signage, and online ads that cover opioid treatment and recovery, overdose prevention, and real life stories of addiction and loss due to prescription opioids.

Provides access to education materials developed by the VA Pharmacy Benefits Management Services (PBM) Academic Detailing Services (ADS) sharing evidence-based treatments to help providers improve the health of veterans. Offers provider and patient education tools and outreach resources to encourage evidence-based decision making for a variety of medical conditions and diseases, including opioid use disorder (OUD) and substance use disorder (SUD), pain, suicide, dementia, depression, HIV, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and more.

Offers evidence-based information, recommendations, guides, and tools to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) healthcare providers and patients to assist in the decision making process to improve the health and treatment of patients with chronic pain. Includes information and algorithms for determining the appropriateness, risks, duration, and frequency of opioid therapy to prioritize safe and effective opioid prescribing practices.