Faculty

Kathryn L. Hahn, PharmD, CPE, DAAPM
Affiliate Faculty, Oregon State University College of Pharmacy
Chair, Oregon Pain Management Commission
American Pain Foundation State Action Leader
Pharmacy Manager
Bi-Mart Corp
Springfield, OR

Chris M. Herndon, PharmD, BCPS, CPE, FASHP
Assistant Professor of Pharmacy
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine
St. Louis University School of Medicine
Belleville, IL

Patti Gasdek Manolakis, PharmD (Moderator)
President
PMM Consulting, LLC
Charlotte, NC

Financial Disclosure

Kathryn L. Hahn, PharmD, CPE, DAAPM, has no real or apparent conflicts of interest in relation to this program.
Chris M. Herndon, PharmD, BCPS, CPE, FASHP, has no real or apparent conflicts of interest in relation to this program.
Patti Gasdek Manolakis, PharmD, has no real or apparent conflicts of interest in relation to this program.

The planners and managers have indicated that they have no real or apparent conflicts of interest in relation to this program. Medical Logix staff has indicated that they have no real or apparent conflicts of interest in relation to this program.

ACCREDITATION STATEMENTS

PHARMACY

Postgraduate Healthcare Education, LLC is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.

UAN: 0430-0000-11-023-H03-P
Credits: 1.0 hour (0.10 ceu)

Published: August 10, 2011
Expires: August 31, 2012

Media: Internet

Fee Information: There is no fee for this educational activity.

Estimated time to complete activity: 60 minutes

TARGET AUDIENCE

This accredited activity is designed for community and chain pharmacists.

PROCEDURES

Please complete the posttest questions and activity evaluation online at: www.powerpak.com (a username and password are required to access your account).  Upon passing the exam with a score of 70% or better, you can print out your statement of credit immediately. You can also view your test history at any time and print out duplicate statements from the Web site.

GOALS

The goals of this program are to provide community and chain pharmacists with valuable information about opioid REMS; provide guidance for screening and educating patients and communicating with prescribers to enhance opioid safety; and highlight opportunities to inform the refinement opioid REMS and engage in other efforts to address the public health problems associated with opioid use. This program will offer practical guidance for enhancing the safe use of opioids in patients with moderate to severe chronic pain who need them; preventing the intentional misuse of opioids by drug-seeking individuals; and preventing accidental overdoses and severe consequences associated with medication errors, improper dosing, titration, and conversion, misuse, and accidental ingestion of opioids.

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES

After completing this educational activity, participants should be able to:

1. List and explain the patient selection parameters that should be considered when assessing the benefits and risks of opioid therapy for an individual patient with chronic pain;
2. Describe the risks associated with novel dosage forms and extended-release opioid products and contrast them with previously available products with the same ingredients in other dosage forms;
3. Explain the purpose of risk evaluation and mitigation strategies (REMS) and describe how each potential REMS component aims to improve safety; and
4. Describe how pharmacists can improve the safety of opioid use among patients in outpatient settings through REMS education and management
5. Compare and contrast the REMS requirements for different opioids

Disclosure of Unlabeled Use and Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in the educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of Postgraduate Healthcare Education, LLC, (PHE) and Mallinckrodt, Inc., a Covidien Company. Participants have an implied responsibility to use the newly acquired information to enhance patient outcomes and their own professional development. The information presented in this activity is not meant to serve as a guideline for patient management. Any procedures, medications, or other courses of diagnosis or treatment discussed or suggested in this activity should not be used by clinicians without evaluation of their patients’ conditions and possible contraindications on dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer’s product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities.

The author, sponsor, and publisher of this continuing education activity have made all reasonable efforts to ensure that all information contained herein is accurate in accordance with the latest available scientific knowledge at the time of launch. However, because information regarding drugs (their administration, dosages, contraindications, adverse reactions, interactions, special warnings, precautions, etc.) is subject to constant change, the reader is advised to check the manufacturer’s package insert for information concerning recommended dosages and potential problems and cautions prior to dispensing or administering any drug(s). Special precautions should be taken when a drug is new, or highly toxic, or is unfamiliar to the dispenser or administrant. This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Neither the publisher nor sponsor promotes the use of any agent outside of approved labeling. Statements made in this program have not been evaluated by the FDA.