Moderators: Mitchell F. Reiter, MD and Jerome Schofferman, MD
Because of the current anti-opioid climate, spine care providers must pause to thoughtfully re-examine our approach to managing pain. Opioid abuse and overdose are serious individual patient and public health issues. Spine providers must address the opioid overuse, morbidity and mortality problems while avoiding the reactionary “no opioid” mentality and behavior that will do a great disservice to our patients in pain. This symposium discusses the way spine care providers might have contributed to the current state of affairs. We look at a balanced approach to the management of acute, perioperative, and chronic pain that can include opioid and nonopioid analgesics in light of the current climate.
The discussion will include issues such as how much reluctance should there be to prescribe an opioid to a patient with acute, severe pain due to a spinal condition? Are we at risk of undertreating pain, which might lead to more procedures and surgeries or are we at greater risk of starting our patients down a pathway that can lead to addiction? What strategies are available perioperatively to minimize the need for opiods? What is the role of opioids, if any, in the management of chronic spine pain? Is legislation the correct way to ameliorate the U.S.’s current problem with extensive opioid abuse and overdose or can doctors solve the problem with education?
Upon completion of this session, participants should gain strategies to:
- Recognize the effectiveness and risks of the pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatment alternatives to opioids;
- Learn strategies and options that can be utilized during and following surgery to reduce the use of opioids;
- Appreciate the role that opioids might play in the management of patients with chronic, severe, and refractory pain;
- Become aware of the role that legislation is playing in the current situation and how it impacts your practice.
Agenda
Introduction
Mitchell F. Reiter, MD
Acute Pain: Opioids and Their Alternatives
Jerome Schofferman, MD
Perioperative and Postoperative Pain: Minimizing the Need for Opioids
Mark F. Kurd, MD
Opioids and Their Alternatives in the Management of Chronic Pain
William J. Sullivan, MD
The Opioid Crisis: Education vs Legislation to Promote Proper Use
Eric J. Muehlbauer, MJ, CAE
Discussion, Question and Answer
Faculty Panel