Resources
Tools
Understand how to manage pain
- The Use of Opioids for the Treatment of Common Pain
- Promoting Pain Relief and Preventing Abuse of Pain Medications: A Critical Balancing Act
Assess the patient’s pain
- Target Chronic Pain Notebook
The Pain Notebook is an easy-to-use tool to help you maintain a record of your pain and communicate your experiences. It’s an extremely useful tool when discussing levels of pain, response to treatment and improvements in functioning and side effects. Courtesy of the American Pain Foundation. - Pain Thermometer Scale
This pain assessment tool facilitates the communication of pain severity especially in older patients and those with diminished cognitive capacity and difficulty with abstract thinking. Courtesy of painknowledge.org - Wong-Baker FACES
A visual analog scale to assess pain in pediatric patients. - Brief Pain Inventory
Assesses the severity of pain and the impact of pain on daily functions. - World Health Organization’s (WHO) Pain Ladder
WHO has developed a three-step “ladder” for cancer pain relief.
Talk with the patient
- CAGE Questionnaire
Used in Identifying Alcoholism - Current Opioid Misuse Measure (COMM)
Helps clinicians identify whether a patient, currently on long-term opioid therapy, may be exhibiting aberrant behaviors associated with misuse of opioid medications. (Free Registration Required) - Opioid Risk Tool
A brief, easy-to-use screening tool, which is administered during the initial clinical visit, enables the physician to determine a patient’s potential risk for developing aberrant behaviors when prescribed opioids for chronic pain. Courtesy of painknowledge.org - Screener & Opioid Assessment for Patients with Pain (SOAPP)
A brief paper and pencil tool to facilitate assessment and planning for chronic pain patients being considered for long-term opioid treatment. (Free Registration Required) - Opioid Facts
Printable patient-education handout. Courtesy of painknowledge.org - Pain Facts
Printable patient-education handout. Courtesy of painknowledge.org
Keep a current chart
- Patient Reassessment Opioid Analgesic 4-A’s+ Chart Note
The 4-A’s+ Chart Note is a brief, easy-to-use tool for assessing patients taking opioids. Courtesy of painknowledge.org - Medication Flow Chart
Used to keep track of a patient’s prescribed medications. Courtesy of painknowledge.org - Informed Consent
This form verifies that the patient understands the risks and benefits of using opioids. Your state may require an Informed Consent form to be signed by the patient for whom opioid medications are being considered. Please check with your state regulatory agency. Courtesy of painknowledge.org - Opioid Agreement Template
A sample of a patient agreement concerning chronic opioid treatment that providers may wish to include in their patient’s records. - Exit strategy guide
If the pain management plan for a patient must be discontinued, an exit strategy should be established. Courtesy of painknowledge.org
Continuing Medical Education
If you are interested in continuing medical education on the subject of pain management and opioid treatment, the following seminars/conferences/online courses are available.
- Oregon: http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/pain/ (Pain Management Program)
- AMA position on pain
- Model Guidelines for the Use of Controlled Substances for the Treatment of Pain (Federation of State Medical Boards) (PDF)
- The Use of Opioids for the Treatment of Chronic Pain (American Pain Society, American Academy of Pain Medicine)
- JCAHO Pain Management Standards
- Cancer Pain Relief with a Guide to Opioid Availability (World Health Organization) (PDF)
- Principles of Analgesic Use in the Treatment of Acute Pain and Cancer Pain (American Pain Society)
- Definitions Related to the Use of Opioids for the Treatment of Pain (American Academy of Pain Medicine, American Pain Society, American Society of Addiction Medicine
