A Call for Better Opioid Prescribing Training and Education

• Main Authors: Hazar Khidir, Scott G. Weiner
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: eScholarship Publishing, University of California 2016-11-01
• Series: Western Journal of Emergency Medicine
• Subjects: opioid; prescribing; training; education; commentary; emergency medicine
• Online Access: http://escholarship.org/uc/item/7wj9h3zq

Pain is the most common complaint in the emergency department (ED), and emergency physicians face unique challenges in making opioid-related treatment decisions. Medical students and residents experience significant variation in the quality of education they receive both about opioid prescribing as well as substance-use detection and intervention in the ED. To achieve a better standard of education, clinical educators will need to (a) develop a clearer understanding of the risk for aberrant opioid prescribing in the ED, (b) recognize prescribing bias and promote uptake of evidence-based opioid prescribing guidelines in their EDs, and (c) advocate for integrated opioid management and addiction medicine training formally into medical school curricula.