Opioid Stewardship in Urology The American Urological Association (AUA) is requesting an AHRQ Conference Grant to support convening a Quality Improvement Summit on Opioid Stewardship in Urology, with discussion focusing on: post-operative pain management strategies, physician-led interventions in opioid stewardship, policy and outreach work related to the opioid epidemic, and the identification and management of patients at high-risk for opioid related issues in the peri-operative period. The AUA?s Quality Improvement Summits address quality issues, define clinical problems, facilitate information exchange on quality efforts by clinicians across disciplines and care settings, and educate urology practitioners, primary care physicians, and specialists about developing patient- centered quality improvement programs. For its 2018 summit, the AUA will convene a multi-disciplinary panel of speakers to take part in a collaborative effort dedicated to reducing the impact of urologic surgery and subsequent pain management strategies on the current opioid epidemic. The 2018 Summit will provide a unique and timely opportunity to accelerate the application of evidence into practice by bringing together physicians, researchers, and professional societies spanning the disciplines of urology, broader surgical specialties, alternative medicine, pain management, anesthesiology, and psychiatry/ addiction medicine around the shared goal of improving care delivery as it relates to opioid prescription and use in the peri-operative period.
Specific aims i nclude the following: ? Provide an overview of the opioid epidemic in the context of surgical management of urologic diseases ? Provide pragmatic information for steps that can be taken by urologists to influence the opioid epidemic at the individual patient level ? Delineate roles urologists can play in broader settings (e.g., across healthcare system or communities) in combating the opioid epidemic ? Establish a list of priorities for future work in opioid and pain management by AUA and other interest parties o Research and develop procedure-specific guidance o Develop physician and patient-facing educational programs and materials
Opioid Stewardship in Urology The United States is faced with the growing public health challenge of treating patients suffering with pain while preventing the potential harms associated with the use and misuse of opioids that has led to the current opioid epidemic. While opioids are known to be effective for managing post-operative pain and make up the majority of prescriptions for pain control after surgery, nearly 2 million patients each year develop opioid dependence following a first dose of an opioid following surgical or dental care. In this context, the American Urological Association (AUA) is working to increase awareness of this issue and provide its members nationwide with an evidence-based action plan to reduce the impact of urologic surgery as a potential contributor to opioid-related disorders, and, as a foundational step, the AUA is convening a multi-stakeholder Quality Improvement Summit to address these topics, bringing together experts from urology, broader surgical specialties, anesthesia, pain management, addiction medicine, and several relevant public service organizations to discuss a variety of topics including: post-operative pain management strategies, physician-led interventions in opioid stewardship, policy and outreach work related to these topics, the identification and management of patients at high-risk for opioid related issues in the peri-operative period.
