ASPI E-Newsletter

The ASPI E-Newsletter is an e-mail update on pain related issues and events and the activities of the Alliance of State Pain Initiatives. To receive the ASPI E-Newsletter, please email Ronna Popkin at rapopkin@wisc.edu
Click here for past E-Newsletters.

January 2009 E-Newsletter

CME Accredited Version of Responsible Opioid Prescribing Available in February

Wisconsin Pain Initiative’s PRN Training Program a Huge Success

State Pain Initiatives in Action: Georgia Pain Initiative

Sandra Ward Receives APS Distinguished Service Award

Participants Needed for NIH Funded Studies on Pain

CME Accredited Version of Responsible Opioid Prescribing Available in February

A CME accredited version of Responsible Opioid Prescribing: A Physician’s Guide will be available in February. The activity, which is jointly sponsored by the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, the Alliance of State Pain Initiatives (ASPI), and the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB), will offer participants up to 7.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ for reading the book and successfully completing an online post-test on the material. Responsible Opioid Prescribing offers physicians effective strategies for reducing the risks of opioid addiction, abuse, and diversion. Written by pain medicine specialist Scott M. Fishman, M.D., chief of the Division of Pain Medicine at the University of California, Davis, the book translates FSMB’s consensus model policy on pain management into practical, office-based pain management guidelines.

For more information on the book, please email Drew Carlson.
For more information on the CME activity, please email Ronna Popkin.

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Wisconsin Pain Initiative’s PRN Training Program a Huge Success

The Wisconsin Pain Initiative, in collaboration with the Resource Center of the Alliance of State Pain Initiative, held its first Training Course for Pain Resource Nurse (PRN) Program Coordinators in Chicago November 13-15, 2008. The course brought together 50 nurses who work in clinical or educational roles from across the country through a competitive application process. The course reviewed how to present and organize essential content on pain management, including definitions and physiology; assessment; pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions; management of acute, chronic and cancer pain; and pain and substance abuse. There were also practical discussions of how to implement a PRN program and develop the roles of PRNs. Each participant received a copy of the PRN Program Curriculum and Planning Guide, which includes nine educational modules in Power Point with extensive speaker’s notes, resource lists, and supplemental educational materials and handouts. The conference and materials were extremely well received. The Guide will be available for purchase via the ASPI Resource Center in February. If you are interested in applying for a possible future PRN Training Course, please email Marty Skemp Brown.

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State Pain Initiatives in Action: Georgia Pain Initiative

The revitalized Georgia Pain Initiative is building momentum and recruiting diverse members from across the state. The GPI has recently launched its new website, which provides resources to patients and health care providers, information about projects and activities of the Initiative, and policy and advocacy information. To expand their reach, the Georgia Pain Initiative is offering “Pain Management: Providing Effective Treatment for Your Patients,” a training designed for nursing, medical, and pharmacy students who are completing their formal studies and preparing to enter practice. The training, which is supported through a partnership grant from the ASPI and Lance Armstrong Foundation, includes a variety of information on pain management, including proper assessment and treatment options for pain; myths and misconceptions about treating pain; and policies and laws that affect pain management and prescribing. In spring 2009, the Georgia Pain Initiative will be hosting a Georgia Pain Forum to educate health care providers on pain, highlight Initiative accomplishments, and encourage participation in the Initiative. For more information about the Georgia Pain Initiative, please visit www.georgiapaininitiative.org.

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Sandra Ward Receives APS Distinguished Service Award

Sandra E. Ward, PhD, RN, FAAN, Helen Denne Schulte Professor of Nursing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing, is the recipient of the American Pain Society’s 2009 Distinguished Service Award. This award recognizes her outstanding and dedicated service to the American Pain Society. Sandra is the fourth member of the Wisconsin Pain Initiative (WPI) to receive this honor from APS; prior WPI recipients include Debra B. Gordon, 2006; June L. Dahl, 2002; and David E. Joranson, 1998. Congratulations, Sandy, on an honor greatly deserved!

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Participants Needed for NIH Funded Studies on Pain

The National Institutes of Health is funding two studies that test the effectiveness of Web-based support programs designed to help people better cope with migraine and back pain. Both studies, which are being coordinated by the independent research firm Inflexxion, Inc., are currently recruiting participants. For more information on these studies, please click on the links below and/or contact the following individuals:

Back Pain Study
Aron Kaufman, Research Coordinator
akaufman@inflexxion.com
800-848-3895, ext 258

Migraine Study
Dan Surette, Research Coordinator
dsurette@inflexxion.com
800-848-3895, ext 273

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The Alliance of State Pain Initiatives and the University of Wisconsin-Madison do not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process described in the E-Newsletter, and the reference to any of these resources does not imply endorsement.

Contact Us: University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health Rm 4720 1300 University Ave Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 265-4013 Fax: (608) 265-4014 aspi@mailplus.wisc.edu