Addressing the opioid epidemic

04/Feb/2020     Education

Mater Education is addressing the national epidemic of prescription opioid consumption in an upcoming seminar: Opioid Stewardship: Hospital, General Practice and Beyond.

As prescription opioids continue to be misused in the community, it is increasingly important for healthcare providers to come together to address the over-reliance on pain medications, ensure the safe and effective use of medications, and implement best practice pain management.

The issue of effective prescription, medication and management requires a multidisciplinary response, which is why Mater Education is bringing together GPs, anaesthetists, surgeons, allied health, medical officers, pharmacists, and nurses to address the opioid epidemic.

The aim of the seminar is to define the current opioid crisis and identify prescribing practices contributing to the opioid endemic in the community.  The seminar will provide health professionals with strategies to utilise alternative pain relief options and to wean opioid.

The keynote speaker is Dr Jennifer Stevens, a leader in anaesthesia and pain management from St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney. The seminar topics will include:

  • the National Challenge

  • the economics of poor stewardship

  • four key concepts for improving discharge prescribing

  • postoperative pain trajectories - What to do when you are on the wrong one

  • pre-habilitation and postoperative opioid demands

  • identification and management of catastrophic thinking in perioperative pain

  • physiotherapy preparation and recovery strategies in acute pain

  • education and self-management of postoperative pain

  • weaning opioids

Learn more about the Opioid Stewardship seminar on Saturday 28 March.

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