The eastern north carolina opioid prescribers project: a model continuing medical education workshop

The decision to prescribe opioid medications is complex. Physicians often struggle to balance the risks of medication diversion and abuse with the benefits of pain management. Nationally, more than 40 percent of primary care physicians report difficulty in discussing the possibility of prescription medication abuse with patients and more than 90 percent fail to detect symptoms of substance abuse. Continuing medical education workshops were developed in Eastern North Carolina to mitigate problems with opioid prescriptions. Attendance at these workshops suggests that prescribers are interested in improving opioid prescribing practices and reducing patient risk. Presurvey data indicate that prescribers are knowledgeable about screening tools and they consider patient risk factors for misuse.