Today, the opioid epidemic continues to ravage communities, with tens of thousands of people dying each year from overdoses. This is a public health crisis across the country, including the Dakotas. There are countless people that are suffering from opioid misuse. We are all touched on some personal or professional level with this disease.
Efforts to combat the opioid epidemic include increasing access to evidence-based treatments for substance use disorders, encouraging harm reduction with use of naloxone and take back programs, supporting primary prevention by eliminating unnecessary initial prescription drug exposure and inappropriate prolonged prescribing, and protecting against diversion.
“Opioids are highly addictive and opioid misuse can start before you know it and can happen to anyone. There are strategies and interventions to help. One in four individuals who are prescribed opioids struggle with addiction. Let’s help prevent this addiction from starting,” shared Stephanie Hanson, RN; Great Plains QIN Quality Improvement Advisor.
The Great Plains QIN Team hosted a series of sessions in January. View the recordings and presentations from each of the four sessions below on our Web site.
- Safe Opioid Prescribing Practices
- The Pharmacist’s Role
- Opioid Misuse and Adverse Drug Events
- A Patient-Centered Approach
We will continue this conversation in March with an emphasis on specific strategies to prevent and treat opioid misuse. Be sure to join. Details below.
The Friday Focus 4 Health March Series
- Strategies for Opioid Misuse | 12:00 – 12:30 pm CT
- Clostridium Difficile Infections (CDI) | 12:30 – 1:00 pm CT
One topic. 4 weeks. 30 minutes. YOUR pace.
