Objective: To describe the core elements of a Whole Health Primary Care Pain Education and Opioid Monitoring Program (PC-POP) and examine its effectiveness at increasing adherence to six of the Veteran Affairs/Department of Defense (VA/DoD) recommended guidelines for long-term opioid therapy (LOT) among chronic noncancer patients seen in primary care (i.e., urine drug screens [UDS], prescription drug monitoring program [PDMP] queries, informed consent, naloxone education/prescriptions, morphine equivalent daily dose [MEDD], and referrals to nonpharmacological pain interventions).
Design/methods: A within-subjects comparison of outcomes was conducted between pre- and post-PC-POP enrollees (N = 25), as was a a between-subjects comparison to a comparison group (N = 25) utilizing a six-month range post-index date of 10/1/2018 (i.e., between-subjects comparison at Time 2).
Subjects: A convenience sample of adult veterans with chronic noncancer pain receiving opioid therapy consecutively for the past three months in primary care.
Results: Results showed increased concordance with VA/DoD guidelines among those enrolled in the PC-POP, characterized by increased documentation of urine drug screens, prescription drug monitoring program queries, informed consent, naloxone education/prescriptions, and a decrease in MEDD among patients enrolled in the PC-POP.
Conclusions: The PC-POP shows promise for increasing guideline-concordant care for providers working in primary care.
Keywords: Chronic Pain; Opioid Monitoring Program; Opioid Therapy; Primary Care.
Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Academy of Pain Medicine 2020. This work is written by US Government employees and is in the public domain in the US.