UW TelePain

Jacob Gross, MD, MPH

Jane Ballantyne, MD, FRCA

Christina Bockman, PharmD

Tasha Parman, DPT, PT

Pamela Pentin, MD, JD, FAAFP  

Suzanne Rapp, MD 

James Robinson, MD 

Mark Sullivan, MD, PhD 

Kaitlin Touza, PhD 

Eric Wanzel, MSW, LICSW

Weekly presentations for community clinicians occur from 12:00 PM to 12:30 PM and are followed by a brief question and answer session. Slides, articles, and references from these presentations are available to participants. Our weekly presentations are also recorded and available to the public via our didactics library.

Explore the UW TelePain Didactics Library

The TelePain curriculum includes core and supplemental topics with evidence-based information. 

Core Topics

• Establishing a pain diagnosis 
• Functional assessment  
• Multidimensional outcome tracking  
• Comorbid psychological disorders 
• Non-pharmacological pain management strategies 
• Non-opioid pharmacological treatment options  
• Opioid prescribing, including new rules and guidelines 
• Addiction assessment and treatment 
• Buprenorphine  

Supplemental Topics

• Medicinal cannabis  
• Extended release/long-acting opioids 
• Sleep  
• Disability 
• Pediatric pain  
• Pain in pregnancy 
• Diversion 
• Migraine and headache  
• Pelvic pain

“UW TelePain is a remarkably effective video conference-based consultative network providing tertiary center/university level expertise to assist community providers (both primary and specialty) in the management of complex and challenging chronic pain problems. I practice in Lewis County where I am the lone pain specialist.  I am thus the recipient of some very difficult chronic pain referrals from my colleagues and in the past I have often felt like I was by myself at the end of a very long rope.  Yet thanks to UW TelePain, I can join in a lively, interactive session where I can gain access to expert second opinions and collegial advice on tough cases.  I have come to truly look forward to Wednesdays now!” – Anonymous 

“I have found these conferences to be very helpful in helping me maintain and increase my knowledge and skills needed to treat the complex chronic pain patients that I see in my community practice.  This allows me real time access to multidisciplinary experts capable of providing helpful recommendations to assist me in caring for these most challenging patients.” – Gregory T. Carter MD MS, Centralia, WA 

“We inherit these patients who are already at a higher dose, so we’re kind of stuck. How do we turn it around and get opioid-dependent or addicted folks back to more appropriate dosing? The UW faculty gave me the tools to be firm and establish that opioid levels need to come down. They gave me confidence in my direction.” – Ron Bergman, MD, Port Angeles, WA 

Participants will be asked quarterly to evaluate the UW TelePain sessions they attended. CME credits are awarded annually. 

The University of Washington School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. 

Each session is 1.5 credits up to a maximum of 73.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ annually. 

Note: Viewing video of didactic lectures outside of the TelePain session does not satisfy CME accredited attendance. 

Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, attendees should be able to: 

1. Describe the different major types of chronic, non-cancer pain and their corresponding treatment modalities. 
2. Optimize pharmacologic treatment of chronic non-cancer pain to improve function and safety, as measured by ability to measure morphine equivalent doses in patient prescriptions. 
3. Detect unsafe combination therapies such as opioids and benzodiazepines. 
4. Identify non-pharmacologic treatment modalities available for patients. 
5. State the legal requirements applicable to treatment of pain and addicted patients in their setting. 
6. Be able to describe the screening tools useful for management of chronic pain in primary care setting including those measuring pain intensity, function, and addiction risk. 
7. Identify elements of safe opioid prescribing and be able to assess patients for treatment. 
8. Model effective communication skills to improve provider-patient interaction and build trust as well as demonstrate ways to manage requests for opioid therapy from patients for whom this type of therapy is appropriate, and those for whom it is not appropriate. 
9. Describe the risks of serious adverse outcomes from opioid use, according to characteristics of opioid regimens and patients, and apply this knowledge in their patient assessment and ongoing treatment plans for improved patient safety. 
10. Successfully document treatment and patient action plans and know how to counsel patients on how to safely use, store and dispose of opioid medications. 
11. Discuss general and product-specific drug information concerning extended-release and long-acting opioids.