Date of Completion

5-1-2017

Embargo Period

5-1-2017

Keywords

prescription opioid abuse, primary care, primary care providers, nurses, physicians, provider adherence to guidelines and evidence-based practice

Major Advisor

Annette Jakubisin-Konicki

Associate Advisor

Joy Elwell

Associate Advisor

Cynthia Heller

Field of Study

Nursing

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Open Access

Open Access

Abstract

Introduction/Purpose: Prescription opioid abuse is a significant problem in the United States. Primary care practices are where most patients with acute or chronic pain present. A large proportion of prescriptions for opioid medications are written by primary care providers (PCPs) (Fink-Miller, Long, & Gross, 2014; Kanouse & Compton, 2015). The purpose of the translational pilot project was to examine an opioid risk assessment tool for its usability and feasibility in primary care settings. Methods/Procedure: A specific opioid risk assessment tool, the Current Opioid Misuse Measure (COMM) (Butler et al., 2007) was presented to the target sample of PCPs via a real time webinar. Knowledge of the COMM pre-webinar was assessed and the sample was given the opportunity to utilize the COMM. Four weeks after the webinar, the medical records of patients treated for pain with an opioid medication by one of the participating PCPs (N=13) was examined for the presence of a completed COMM. Results/Discussion: Attitudes of the sample PCPs toward evidence-based practice were explored. None of the participating PCPs had ever use the COMM. Only one of the participating PCPs had ever heard of the COMM. All of the participating PCPs requested and received access to the COMM, but only two PCPs used the COMM within four weeks after the webinar. Significance/Conclusions: The sample PCPs may lack knowledge and awareness of evidence-based practice for the treatment of pain with prescription opioid medications, despite having positive attitudes toward providing evidence-based care. The sample PCPs identified time constraints and lack of familiarity with the COMM as barriers to the use of this tool. Recommendations: Utilization of the DNP prepared nurse practitioner as a champion and educator for evidence-based practice may improve PCP use of evidence-based practice which may positively affect patient outcomes and population health (Hayes & Gordon, 2015).

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