In July 2017, the Joint Commission announced the implementation of new and revised pain assessment and management standards which would be effective January 1, 2018 for all accredited hospitals. The enhanced standards represent nearly two years of intensive research review of evidence-based practice, solicitation and consideration of feedback from technical advisory panels, clinicians and the general public.
Great Plains QIN has developed a toolkit to assist hospitals in meeting the new Joint Commission requirements. This toolkit provides recommendations for developing an opioid/pain management leadership team, pain screening forms and processes, and developing individualized treatment plans for in-hospital pain management and continued pain management after discharge.
The Toolkit for Pain Assessment, Management and Safe Opioid Prescribing can be found on our website under the medication safety initiative. Or, you may access it directly here. For related questions, contact a member of our Medication Safety Team; you can find their name/contact information under the ‘Meet the Experts’ section of this page.