Course 4: Assessing Risk for Opioid Substance Use Disorder
What You’ll Learn
- Integrate routine and universal formal risk assessment for substance use disorder when considering or using opioid therapy in people with serious illness
- Distinguish substance use disorder from the under-treatment of pain in people with serious illness
- Risk stratify for substance use disorder management
What You’ll Earn
Only CAPC members who are logged in can earn the following free Continuing Education Credits:
- 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™
- Case Management: 1.00 CE
- Nursing: 1.00 CNE, 0.80 Pharmacotherapy
- Social Work: 1.00 CE (NYSED)
- Social Work: 1.00 CE (NASW)
To take this course, log in. Or, check here to see if your organization is a member.
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Tools & Resources
Case examples used in the CAPC curriculum to illustrate pain management techniques.
Course citations. Center to Advance Palliative Care, 2015.
Opioid treatment specialists by state, and resources for substance use disorder from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
Documentation of patient and clinician goals and expectations for safe and effective opioid treatment.
Sample protocol for managing constipation. Organizations can create similar protocols in collaboration with referring clinicians and pharmacists. Lee Health, 2013.
Key terms related to pain and pain management. Center to Advance Palliative Care, 2015.
Adapted from the Opioid Risk Tool questionnaire developed by Lynn R. Webster, MD to assess risk of opioid use disorder. This adapted version uses currently recommended terminology, for example ‘opioid use disorder’ and ‘substance use disorder’.
The DSM-V lists 11 clinical criteria for substance use disorders of which two or more may be indicative of the disorder.
Course Directors
Course Faculty
Constance Dahlin, MSN, ANP-BC, ACHPN, FPCN, FAAN. Consultant, Center to Advance Palliative Care.
Jaime Goldberg, MSW, LCSW, ACHP-SW. PhD student, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Social Work.
Philip Higgins, PhD, LICSW. President, Lighthouse Counseling of Salem, Inc.
Lynn Hill Spragens, MBA. Partner, Spragens & Gualtieri-Reed.
Jay R. Horton, PhD, ACHPN, FNP-BC, MPH, CENP. Director of Nursing Safety, Quality, and Performance Improvement Mount Sinai Hospital. Assistant Professor Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Khadidjatou Kane, MD. Oncology Hospitalist, Assistant Professor of Hospital Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
Lolita Melhado, MSN, ARNP, FNP-BC. Family Nurse Practitioner/Palliative Care, Gulf Coast Medical Center - Lee Memorial Health System.
Bridget Montana, MSN, APRN, FPCN, MBA. Hope HealthCare Services, Chief Operating Officer.
Colleen Mulkerin, MSW, LCSW. Director Palliative Care Consult Service, Hartford Hospital.
Drew Rosielle, MD, FAAHPM. Palliative Care, Fairview Health Services, University of Minnesota Medical School.
David Weissman, MD. President, Palliative Care Education, LLC.
Peer Reviewers
Sherika S. Newman, DO. Hospice & Palliative Medicine, Family Medicine Piedmont Healthcare.*
Karl Bezak, MD. Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Palliative Care and Medical Ethics, University of Pittsburg (UPMC).*
Sivan Ben-Moshe, MD. Fellow, Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Sachin Kale, MD. Fellow, Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Katie Wang, MD. Fellow, Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
*indicates ABIM Peer Reviewer
Contact information: For answers to frequently asked questions about CAPC courses, read the Online Course FAQ. For technical questions about course activity, email [email protected]. For questions about continuing education credits, contact 201-957-0077.

Provided by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.