PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION
Tackling the opioid crisis through physician education By Christina Flavell and Renice Jones hile mainstream news sources reporting on the nation’s opioid crisis tend to focus on opioids that are illegally manufactured and sold, those prescribed legitimately for pain can also influence the misuse of opioids and result in addiction. Management of opioids to treat chronic pain can present significant patient safety concerns and is an increasing medical-legal difficulty for Canadian doctors. Canada ranks only second to the United States in the per capita consumption of prescription opioids. In May, the National Pain Centre at McMaster University published the 2017 Canadian Guideline for Opioids for Chronic Non-Cancer Pain. This set out recommendations for Canadi-
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an doctors in the prescribing of opioid medication. However, this remains a complex area for physicians as many of them have difficulty in managing the conversation surrounding opioid usage. Canadian healthcare professionals, researchers and educators are making efforts to tackle this skill gap through educational programs that help physicians navigate the complexities of opioid prescribing and reduce the risk of misuse and addiction. One example of this type of program is the University of Toronto’s “Safer Opioid Prescribing, A Multimodal Program for Chronic Pain and Opioids�. The program consists of three webinars and an in-person skill-development
Schulich School of Business injects healthy dose of real-world expertise into its MBA Healthcare Specialization Canada’s growing healthcare industry expected to account for $4.3-trillion by 2030 Three things in Canadian life are certain: Death, taxes and a future of rapid healthcare sector expansion due to one of the fastest-aging populations in the Western world. The healthcare industry currently accounts for over $219-billion (or $6,000 for every Canadian), with private and public spending in this industry projected to reach $4.3-trillion by 2030. This is in contrast to other sectors that may experience slower growth or even decline. Such accelerating growth will create unprecedented opportunities for advancement for those currently working in the healthcare industry or those just entering the industry, as long as they have the right managerial credentials, said Joseph Mapa, Executive Director of the MBA Health Industry Management Program at Schulich School of Business at Toronto’s York University. “This is an ideal time for health industry practitioners and professionals to invest further in their human capital as we prepare for tremendous future challenges and opportunities,â€? said Mapa, who is also CEO of Sinai Health Foundation and past and founding President and CEO of Sinai Health System, formed after the amalgamation of Mount Sinai Hospital, Bridgepoint Active Healthcare, Lunenfeld Tanenbaum Research Institute and Circle of Care, a home care organization. “The healthcare industry has never been so in need of highly specialized business leaders to drive innovation, creative thinking and change as the healthcare landscape evolves to meet the challenges of demographic and systemic changes,â€? said Mapa. That’s why so many part-time and full-time MBA students have enrolled in Schulich’s Health Industry Management Program (HIMP) since its launch in 2004, he said. Mapa works closely with Program Director Amin Mawani, Associate Professor and Graduate Diploma Coordinator, in helping to shape the strategic direction of the HIMP program. Mapa has also served as an Executive-in-Residence, adjunct professor, mentor and executive advisor to the program and Schulich’s Career Development Centre. The Health Industry Management Program (HIMP) builds on Schulich’s established strength in management fundamentals, delivering an industry-focused curriculum, intellectual content and career-based development. The goal of HIMP is to enable students to leverage their learnings in pursuing exciting career opportunities and growth in this dynamic sector. 'UDZQ IURP PDQ\ GLVFLSOLQHV 6FKXOLFKÂśV +,03 IDFXOW\ DUH H[SHUWV LQ WKHLU ÂżHOGV DQG SOD\ OHDGLQJ UROHV in the private and hospital sectors as CEOs, entrepreneurs and consultants; in the public sector as SROLF\ DGYLVRUV DQG HFRQRPLVWV DQG LQ WKH QRW IRU SURÂżW VHFWRU DV FRQVXOWDQWV ERDUG PHPEHUV DQG administrators. Graduates of Schulich’s MBA HIMP work in a variety of progressive roles such as program managers, directors, analysts, planners and consultants in the government, private and public healthcare sectors. Core HIMP courses include: Business of Healthcare; Strategy in Healthcare; Economics of Healthcare; and Entrepreuneurship and Innovation in Healthcare.
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workshop. It was originally developed in 2012-2013 by faculty at the University’s Department of Family and Community Medicine to address the educational gaps in chronic pain and opioid prescribing. Specifically, faculty recognized the need to develop a program that was evidence-based, free of industry conflicts of interest and accessible to busy physicians, especially those in rural and remote communities that have been hardest hit by the opioid crisis and typically have poorer access to high quality education. More than 600 physicians from across the country have participated in the program to date and it was among the first to be compliant with the 2017 Guidelines. Since the program’s inception, the webinars have been available to all physicians in Canada and the workshop has been held in Ontario. However, through a newly announced partnership between the University of Toronto and Saegis, a new subsidiary of the Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA), the workshop component of the program is being expanded. Starting in 2018 workshops will also be offered in Quebec, Saskatchewan and Alberta. It is expected that other provinces will follow in 2018 and beyond. Saegis was launched in August 2017 to offer new programs that extend beyond the CMPA’s current offerings, including in-depth continuing pro-
fessional development programs that address the specific educational needs of physicians and healthcare professionals. Because increasing access to high quality medical education has been identified as a key strategy in addressing Canada’s opioid crisis, Saegis considered an opioid program to be a high priority and found the University of Toronto, with its high quality and well-regarded Safer Opioid Prescribing program, to be the ideal partner. “We have a common objective of supporting physicians with the best possible tools for managing opioid prescribing, and the U of T program is highly innovative and effective, with blended learning to maximize competency building.â€? says Dr. Tom Lloyd, Director, Saegis Safety Institute. “We wanted to give more physicians access to the program because supporting them in providing care to patients is an important step in effectively addressing opioid prescribing challenges.â€? “We are facing a national crisis and need to collaborate widely to expand access to evidence-based interventions. Partnering with Saegis to deliver prescriber education workshops across Canada will do just this,â€? adds Dr. Abhimanyu Sud, Academic Director, Safer Opioid Prescribing. Physicians interested in registering for the webinars and workshops or learning more about the program can visit the University of Toronto’s webH site or the Saegis website. â–
Christina Flavell is a Communications Specialist, Saegis and Renice Jones is Manager, Communications, University of Toronto. www.hospitalnews.com