Features Instead, holistic approaches that include topical treatments such as ice, heat and massage, movement therapies like yoga and tai chi, psychobehavioral therapy and complementary modalities including acupuncture all play a role in pain management. Among other references, a 2017 back pain guideline from the American College of Physicians highlights this approach. Treatment approaches that don’t involve medication, such as physical therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy and yoga are also effective. Better options for treating opioid use disorders Helping patients avoid opioid use disorders is ideal, but providers also have tools to help patients who have developed disorders. “Medication-assisted treatment is proven to save and improve lives. Patients and physicians have more options now, such as buprenorphine and naltrexone, which are game changers in addiction treatment,” Brooks said. Brooks is a family medicine physician in Greeley where she serves as the chief medical officer for Sunrise Community Health and assistant medical director for the North Colorado Health Alliance. She led the implementation and manages the medication-assisted treatment (MAT) program at Sunrise Community Health. The symposium will cover those medications in depth, highlight how providers can be trained to administer
MAT, and share practical information doctors can use to incorporate MAT into their clinics. “An important thing to know about these medications is we can prescribe them or administer them from our offices,” Brooks said. “That greatly simplifies the treatment process both for us and our patients.” And they are effective. Administered within a structured environment, methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone lead to decreased relapse rates and all-cause deaths, decreased acquisition of infectious diseases and, most importantly, increased retention in treatment. Physicians who want to offer MAT need to complete eight hours of training and advanced practice providers need 24 hours of training to receive a waiver allowing them to prescribe buprenorphine. “The training and waiver process is easy to complete and we offer guidance to physicians who are interested. We don’t want that to be a barrier for anyone,” Brooks said. Symposium speakers also will cover the latest scientific research about use disorders and treatment best practices. Attendees who want more information about the state’s response to the opioid crisis are welcome to attend the Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention’s annual meeting the next day, Thursday, Oct. 25. n
Colorado Medicine for September/October 2018
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