Safe Opioid Prescribing

Medical professionals play a key role in facilitating the proper use of opioids. The following resources promote the responsible and effective use of these medications in the treatment of pain.

Proper Use of Opioids

Improving Opioid Prescribing
Opioid prescribers can play a key role in stopping the opioid overdose epidemic. Assessing risk and addressing harms of opioid use can save lives.

Clinical Guidance for Selected Common Acute Pain Conditions
Evidence-based clinical practice guidelines, available for selected common acute pain conditions, and can assist clinicians and patients in making safer, effective pain management decisions.

CDER Conversation: Pediatric pain management options
Physicians often must rely on their own experience to interpret and translate adult data into dosing information for pediatric patients. However, the manufacturer of the pain management drug OxyContin conducted a study to obtain pediatric-specific information on the safe use of drugs in pediatric patients.

Medicare Part D and Opioids

Study Summary: Co-Prescribing Naloxone and Medicare Part D
Learn more about the national rates for naloxone co-prescription among Medicare Part D patients and why it’s important to educate clinicians, pharmacists and patients about when naloxone should be co-prescribed.

Improving Drug Utilization Review Controls in Medicare Part D
Provides information to help Part D sponsors create or change their programs to address the unsafe use of opioid pain medications.

Opioid Prescription Tools and Trainings

CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain
Recommendations to help ensure patients have access to safer, more effective chronic pain treatment while reducing the risk of opioid use disorder, overdose, and death.

• Opioid Guideline Mobile App
• Opioid Guideline: Clinical Tools

Opioid & Pain Management CMEs
Continuing medical education courses (CMEs) help medical professionals maintain competence and learn about new and developing areas of their practice.

• Opioid Prescribing Courses for Health Care Providers
• Pathways to Safer Opioid Use
• Applying CDC’s Guideline for Prescribing Opioids series for Healthcare Providers
• Latest CDC TRAIN courses
• Training and Continuing Education Online (TCEO)
• Accredited Opioid REMS CE: Free or Nominal Charge

Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs)
Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs) are state-run electronic databases used to track the prescribing and dispensing of controlled prescription drugs to patients. Learn more about PDMPs and find related resources.

• Call to Action and Issue Brief: Justice System Use of Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs— Addressing the Nation’s Prescription Drug and Opioid Abuse Epidemic

The Health IT Playbook includes tools to address the Opioid Crisis
Background on solutions to reduce prescription drug misuse, abuse, and diversion, as well as information on national efforts to promote PDMP-Health IT integration, electronic prescribing of controlled substances and clinical decision support tools.

Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT)
This activity teaches an intervention strategy to identify people who may be at risk of substance misuse or abuse. The early identification process can inform providers and guide them to appropriate referrals for treatment. This free course gives participants the added benefit of receiving CME/CE credit when the course is successfully completed.

Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) for Opioid Analgesics
Essential safety information for prescribers of these medications, includes basic information that prescribers can use when counseling patients.