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The opioid crisis has been declared a national emergency. Physiatrists are at the forefront of treatment of acute and chronic pain conditions, and are frequently asked to manage pain as a method of improving function in inpatient and outpatient settings.

The Navigating the Opioid Crisis: Perils, Pitfalls and Practical Solutions course on November 30-December 1, 2018 is designed to assist practicing physiatrists in the management of opioid therapy, including alternative treatments to opioids in treating chronic pain. It is intended to be a real world, clinically applicable series of didactics and interactive case discussions. The participants should leave the course feeling confident in their ability to prescribe opioids safely with a high degree of efficacy, and to be able to protect themselves and their patients from the potential ramifications of opioid prescription. 

Learning Objectives:

At the completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Implement practical techniques for managing patients using safe prescription of opioids.
• Apply integrative medicine and non-opioid adjuvant treatments in practice.
• Employ risk stratification tools for patients regarding their potential for opioid abuse, misuse, and addiction.
• Optimize practice strategies and patient satisfaction in situations in which opioid therapy is not indicated.
• Employ safeguards to ensure personal safety when treating patients using opioids
• Obtain an overview and understanding of the federal laws and regulations pertaining to controlled substance prescribing.