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Top Ten Tips Palliative Care Clinicians Should Know About Buprenorphine
Kyle J Neale1, Melissa B Weimer2, Mellar P Davis3
1The Lois U and Harry R Horvitz Palliative Medicine Program, Department of Palliative Medicine and Supportive Care, Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Journal of Palliative Medicine
|September 6, 2022
Summary
Palliative care clinicians can now utilize buprenorphine for complex pain management and opioid use disorder in serious illness. This guide offers 10 essential tips to safely initiate buprenorphine, improving patient outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Palliative Care
- Pain Management
- Addiction Medicine
Background:
- Pain management in palliative care (PC) is increasingly complex due to longer patient survival with life-limiting illnesses.
- Rising trends in opioid misuse complicate serious illness care.
- Buprenorphine, a partial mu-opioid receptor agonist, shows efficacy in both pain and opioid use disorder.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demystify the use of buprenorphine in palliative care settings.
- To provide practical guidance for clinicians on buprenorphine initiation, risks, and benefits.
- To equip PC clinicians with 10 actionable tips for managing buprenorphine in serious illness.
Main Methods:
- Expert consensus and clinical experience from a multidisciplinary team of PC and addiction specialists.
- Development of 10 practical tips for buprenorphine use.
- Focus on indications, initiation strategies, risk-benefit assessment, and safe management.
Main Results:
- Buprenorphine offers a generally safe and effective option for managing pain and opioid use disorder in serious illness.
- PC clinicians require specific knowledge and comfort to effectively utilize buprenorphine.
- The article provides a structured approach to overcome barriers in buprenorphine implementation.
Conclusions:
- Buprenorphine is a valuable tool for palliative care clinicians managing complex pain and opioid use disorder.
- Comfort and expertise in buprenorphine use can be enhanced through targeted education and practical guidance.
- This resource aims to improve patient care by demystifying buprenorphine for serious illness.
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