Safe prescribing, dispensing and administering of opioids to patients with chronic non-malignant pain

The purpose of this project was to determine the views and experiences of health care providers on these issues, and to develop educational strategies to improve the safety of opioid prescribing. [...] The main messages of the study are: There is an urgent need for a public health response to the epidemic of opioid misuse: The majority of physicians and pharmacists reported adverse events such as opioid intoxication, which they attributed to physicians prescribing high opioid doses, patients taking more than prescribed, and patients combining opioids with alcohol and benzodiazepines. [...] Both the didactic and interactive groups reported that in the seven months since the workshop, they had increased confidence in their ability to prescribe opioids, to identify opioid addiction and to prevent opoioid toxicity. [...] The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) has already organized three workshops in remote regions of the province, and are planning to offer many more throughout the province. [...] Approach, Methodology, Rationale, Assumptions A. Methods - Surveys The College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO), the Ontario College of Pharmacists (OCP), and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) each designed a fax back survey to capture data about experiences and attitudes towards prescribing, dispensing and.