Healthcare providers who prescribe opioid analgesics have a responsibility to help ensure the safe and effective use of opioid analgesics. The FDA REMS-compliant accredited continuing education (CE) programs will focus on the safe prescribing of opioid analgesics.

The FDA REMS-compliant accredited CE will: (a) be delivered by accredited CE providers; (b) cover all elements of the updated Opioid Analgesic REMS Education Blueprint for Health Care Providers Involved in the Treatment and Monitoring of Patients with Pain ("FDA Blueprint"); (c) include a knowledge assessment; and (d) be subject to independent audit of content and compliance with applicable accrediting standards.

The FDA has developed core messages to be communicated to providers in the Opioid Analgesic REMS Education Blueprint for Health Care Providers Involved in the Treatment and Monitoring of Patients with Pain ("FDA Blueprint"), which will be used by accredited CE Providers to develop the REMS-compliant accredited CE programs.

These core messages include:

• The fundamental concepts of pain management, including definitions and mechanisms of pain.
• Be familiar with how to assess patients in pain, identify risk factors for misuse, abuse, and addiction.
• Be familiar with how to integrate opioid analgesics into a pain treatment plan individualized to the needs of the patient.
• Be knowledgeable about the range of therapeutic options for managing pain, including nonpharmacologic approaches and pharmacologic (non-opioid and opioid analgesics) therapies and when to refer to a pain specialist is appropriate.
• Know how to safely and effectively manage patients on opioid analgesics in the acute and chronic pain settings, including initiating therapy, titrating, and discontinuing use of opioid analgesics.
• Know how to counsel patients and caregivers about the safe use of opioid analgesics, including proper storage and disposal.
• Be familiar with the fundamental elements of an addiction medicine and how to identify and manage patients with opioid use disorder.
• Be knowledgeable about how to counsel patients and caregivers about the use of naloxone for opioid overdose.

Click here for a listing of available FDA REMS-compliant accredited CE activities supported by independent educational grants from the opioid analgesic sponsors and offered by accredited CE Providers.