Andrew Esch 2023

Andrew E. Esch, MD, MBA

Andrew Esch is a palliative care specialist focusing on improving the quality of life for patients and families living with serious illness. He earned his medical degree from the University of Buffalo, where he also earned a combined bachelor of science and master of business administration degree. Before becoming the Senior Education Advisor at the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC), Dr. Esch was a CAPC consultant and faculty member. Prior to joining CAPC, Dr. Esch was medical director of palliative care at the Lee Memorial Health System in Fort Myers, Florida. During his time there he was recognized with the prestigious Phoenix Award for his work with people living with cancer. Dr. Esch speaks nationally on palliative care education and growth and sustainability of palliative care programs.

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Andrew Esch 2023

From the Blog

Clinical Care

How to Identify and Treat Fatigue in Our Patients with Serious Illness

Two palliative care clinicians provide the ins-and-outs of assessing and treating fatigue in patients with serious illness.

Leadership

How We Can Leverage Our Emotions to Create Positive Change for Palliative Care

A palliative care leader, who has supported hundreds of clinicians throughout the pandemic, offers healthy tips for channeling our feelings to move the field forward.

Clinical Care

How to Reduce Risk for Older Adults with Age-Friendly Care

Breaking down five myths that may come into play for geriatric patients, and how clinicians can refocus on the realities for the best possible care.

Courses

Course 1: Comprehensive Pain Assessment

Course 1 of 14

Conducting a comprehensive pain assessment to guide safe and effective treatment.

Course 2: Matching the Drug Class to the Pain

Course 2 of 14

Selecting a safe and appropriate analgesic for patients with serious illness based on the pain assessment.

Course 3: Patient Factors that Influence Prescribing Decisions

Course 3 of 14

Patient and family factors that influence prescribing decisions for patients with serious illness.

Course 4: Assessing Risk for Opioid Substance Use Disorder

Course 4 of 14

Integrating routine risk assessment for substance use disorder when considering or using opioid therapy.

Course 5: Opioid Trials: Determining Design, Efficacy, and Safety

Course 5 of 14

Designing a safe and effective opioid trial for the patient with serious illness.

Course 6: Prescribing An Opioid

Course 6 of 14

Safe and appropriate opioid prescribing for the opioid-naive patient with serious illness.

Course 7: Prescribing Short-Acting Opioids: Four Case Studies

Course 7 of 14

Four indications for using short-acting opioids.

Course 8: Monitoring for Opioid Efficacy, Side Effects, and Substance Use Disorder

Course 8 of 14

Ongoing evaluation of opioid benefits, risks, and side effects for the patient with serious illness.

Course 9: Converting from Short-Acting to Long-Acting Opioids

Course 9 of 14

Guidance on safe conversion to long-acting opioids for patients with serious illness.

Course 10: Prescribing Practice and Opioid Conversions

Course 10 of 14

Prescribing practice for long half-life opioids, converting from one opioid to another, and accounting for incomplete cross-tolerance.

Course 11: Advanced Conversions and Opioid Side Effects

Course 11 of 14

Changing the route of opioid delivery, rotating opioids, advanced opioid conversions, and tapering opioids.

Course 12: Special Populations And Patient-Controlled Analgesia

Course 12 of 14

Safe opioid prescribing in older adults, cognitively impaired patients, children, and the imminently dying, including patient-controlled analgesia.

Course 13: Managing Pain in Patients At Risk for Substance Use Disorder

Course 13 of 14

Pain management for patients with serious illness and high risk for substance use disorder, including risk assessment, monitoring, and when to refer for safe pain management.

Course 14: Pain Management: Putting it All Together

Course 14 of 14

Safe opioid prescribing for patients with serious illness, using the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) Guidelines for the Chronic Use of Opioid Analgesics.

Anxiety in Patients with Serious Illness

Take this online course to learn evidence-based strategies to identify and treat anxiety in patients with a serious illness.

Constipation in Patients with Serious Illness

Constipation occurs in at least 70% of patients living with a serious illness and often goes unrecognized. Take this online course to learn critical skills to identify and manage the impact of constipation.

Depression in Patients with Serious Illness

This online course teaches how to accurately identify and treat depression in patients living with a serious illness.

Dyspnea in Patients with Serious Illness

Take this online course to learn how to manage dyspnea, including the physical causes of shortness of breath and the emotional impact on the patient.

Nausea and Vomiting in Patients with Serious Illness

Nausea and vomiting are common symptoms of serious illness, and can cause dangerous complications. Take this online course to learn practical skills to identify, manage, and reduce these symptoms.

Care Management for Seriously Ill Patients: Addressing Gaps in Care

Communication and assessment techniques for case managers to elicit goals of care and address suffering for people with serious illness.

A Palliative Approach to Care for Direct Care Workers

The role of the direct care worker in observing and reporting suffering in patients with serious illness.

Reducing Risks for Older Adults

This course provides context and best practices for identifying older adults at risk for poor outcomes, including falls, delirium, and caregiving challenges.

Non-Opioid Chronic Pain Management

Course 1 of 4

Clinical training on the biological basis of chronic pain, building patient trust, and non-pharmacological and non-opioid treatments for managing chronic pain in patients with serious illness.

Opioid Prescribing for Chronic Pain

Course 2 of 4

Clinical training on prescribing an opioid trial for the management of a seriously ill patient's chronic pain.

Risk Mitigation Strategies for Opioid Prescribing

Course 3 of 4

Clinical training course on universal precautions to identify and assess opioid misuse, and prevent opioid use disorder (OUD) in patients with serious illness.

Treatment Strategies for Opioid Use Disorder

Course 4 of 4

Clinical training course for identifying and managing opioid use disorder (OUD) in patients with serious illness, and treating pain in seriously ill patients with OUD.

Improving Team Performance

Strategic planning for new or veteran programs, and a framework for identification of barriers to team efficiency and team health.

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