machealth | Resources

Additional Supports and Services

Through a secure, web-based platform requesting providers can ask a pain medicine specialist a clinical question about their patient’s pain management and receive advice quickly (usually within 2 days).

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OMD Educates

A 10-part series of online learning, OMD Educates: Digital Health and Virtual Care Curriculum.

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MyPractice Reports

Primary Care report: confidential opioid prescribing information about your own practice in relation to your peers across the province.

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Academic Detailing

Educational outreach utilizing one on one pharmacist visits to providers to assist with optimizing clinical care.

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Ontario Pain Management Resources

Listings and links to guidelines and standards, practice reports and EMR supports, education and direct clinical supports.

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Buprenorphine Reference Guide

This guide has been developed to complement the Opioids Clinical Primer CPD series and includes an overview of buprenorphine/naloxone pharmacology; guidance for initiation, dosing, managing and writing buprenorphine/naloxone prescriptions; and the role of urine drug testing.

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Clinical Tools

Opioid agonist therapy decision aid tool

A tool for patients to use with their health care providers to help them decide what opioid agonist therapy (OAT) option would be best for them: sublingual buprenorphine (Suboxone), depot buprenorphine (Sublocade), methadone, or slow-release oral morphine (Kadian).

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National Pain Centre Resources

A useful list of documents and links from the National Pain Centre including Pain and Addiction Education Programs, Tools and Resources for Prescribers; as well as a listing of Canadian Pain Clinics.

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Motivational Interviewing Basics (CAMH)

This guide developed by the Centre for Addictions and Mental Health (CAMH) reviews the basics of motivational interviewing, including the spirit, principles, foundational skills and includes 'Quick Tips' for practitioners.

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Checklist for the Medical Assessment of the Patient Asking About Medical Cannabis

The Canadian Consortium for the Investigation of Cannabinoids has developed the Checklist for the Medical Assessment of the Patient Asking about Medical Cannabis, a fillable form intended to be a reference tool for the evaluation of a patient for medical cannabis by a health professional.

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HARMS Program Case-Based E-Learning Modules

The cases in the HARMS Program learning modules are based on real cases and were specifically chosen to illustrate key principles when using urine drug testing in a primary care setting for chronic non-cancer pain.

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Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) Tool (Centre for Effective Practice)

This tool is to help primary care providers screen, diagnose and implement opioid agonist therapy for patients who have problems with opioid use.

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Getting Started with an Opioid Use Registry | Validated EMR Queries (FHTO)

Validated EMR Queries for identifying patients taking opioids and patients taking both an opioid and a benzodiazepine.

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Opioid Tapering Template (Centre for Effective Practice)

Guides providers through the opioid tapering process; includes fillable forms, links to relevant resources.

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Opioid Manager (Centre for Effective Practice)

Supports health care providers prescribe and manage opioids for patients with chronic non-cancer pain through succinct information, with fillable appendices that can be inserted into the patient chart.

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Management of Chronic Non-Cancer Pain Tool (Centre for Effective Practice)

Focuses on a multi-modal approach to chronic pain including opioids, non-opioid medications and non-pharmacologic therapies. Can be downloaded/used as a custom form in selected EMRs.

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Toolkit for alcohol-related presentations to the emergency department

These tools address the effective treatment of alcohol withdrawal, management of other alcohol-related presentations, brief counselling interventions, initiation of anti-craving medications, and referral to community resources.

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Continuing Professional Development Opportunities

Opioids Clinical Primer Promotional Postcard

A promotional postcard to share with colleagues and promote the Opioids Clinical Primer.

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Focus on: Opioids (CFPC)

25 Self-assessment questions linked to full references and explanations.

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Acute Opioid Prescribing Module: Information, Guidelines, and Best Practices (Queen's University)

Focuses on prescribing for acute pain, using currently applicable guidelines.

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Project ECHO: Chronic Pain and Opioids, Mental Health and Addictions

Sessions include didactic teaching, case-based learning, and discussions of de-identified cases.

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Safer Opioid Prescribing: A Multimodal Program for Chronic Pain and Opioids (University of Toronto)

This series assists physicians to develop knowledge and skills in the field of pain management, including multi-modal approaches to complex chronic pain, initiating and managing safer opioid therapy, preventing and addressing opioid use disorder, and communication & collaborative practice skills to better manage opioid therapy.

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Opioid Dependence Treatment Certificate Program (CAMH)

The Opioid Dependence Treatment Certificate Program has been developed to prepare physicians, pharmacists, nurses and counsellors to provide a comprehensive range of services for people with opioid dependence.

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Buprenorphine Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder (CAMH)

This course aims to present a framework for providing maintenance treatment for opioid use disorder with buprenorphine/naloxone.

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Course Handouts

Safer Opioid Prescribing Strategies Resources and References

A number of resources were recommended throughout the course and are summarized here by lesson.

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Opioid Conversion Table - Safer Opioid Prescribing Strategies

This table has been adapted from the Opioid Manager, Centre for Effective Practice (September 2017) and the 2017 Canadian Guideline for Opioids for Chronic-Non-Cancer Pain, National Pain Centre, McMaster University.

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Opioid Use Disorder in Primary Care: Principles of Assessment and Management - Course Handout

This handout is designed to complement the course Opioid Use Disorder in Primary Care: Principles of Assessment and Management in the Opioids Clinical Primer CPD Series and includes an overview of opioid use disorder diagnostic criteria and assessment principles; opioid withdrawal symptoms; what to do if you recognize that a patient has an opioid use disorder; options for the treatment of opioid use disorder; and some additional links to supports and key resources.

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Mental Health, Chronic Pain and Substance Use: Addressing the Connections - Resources for Practitioners

Several resources for practitioners were recommended throughout this course and are conveniently summarized in this handout.

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Resources for Practitioners - Treating Opioid Use Disorder in Primary Care, Emergency Department, and Inpatient Settings

Several resources for practitioners were recommended throughout this course including additional educational resources and tools.

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Mental Health, Chronic Pain, and Substance Use: Addressing the Connections - References

The references associated with the course are summarized in this handout. Updated December 2020.

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Treating Opioid Use Disorder: Initiating Buprenorphine in Primary Care, Emergency Department, and Inpatient Settings - References

A full list of references cited in the course. Updated August 2021.

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Strategies for Managing Chronic Pain: Moving Beyond Opioids - Resources and References

Several clinician and patient resources were recommended throughout this course and are conveniently summarized in this handout.

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Patient Checklist | Resources for Managing Chronic Pain and Mental Health

This convenient Patient Checklist of self-help resources for managing chronic pain and mental health is a fillable pdf ideal for prescribing various resources to your patients.

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Evidence, Guidelines and Recommendations

Buprenorphine/Naloxone for Opioid Dependence: Clinical Practice Guideline

The objective of this guideline is to provide clinical recommendations for the initiation, maintenance and discontinuation of buprenorphine/naloxone maintenance treatment in the ambulatory treatment of adults and adolescents with opioid dependence in Ontario.

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Slow-release oral morphine as opioid agonist therapy: Plain language summary

A summary of the recommendations, intended for patients interested in learning about SROM as OAT.

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Recommendations for the use of slow-release oral morphine as opioid agonist therapy

Bringing together published evidence and both clinical and experiential expertise, these recommendations are intended to guide prescribers in the use of slow-release oral morphine (SROM, brand name Kadian) as opioid agonist therapy (OAT).

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Safe Prescribing Practices for Addictive Medications and Management of Substance Use Disorders in Primary Care: A Pocket Reference for Primary Care Providers

Guidelines to Prescribing Addictive Medications developed by Women’s College Hospital for Primary Care Providers.

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Opioid Wisely

Find 15 specialty-specific recommendations for when the use of opioids should not be first line therapy and information resources to help patients have informed conversations with their clinicians about safe options for managing pain.

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Health Quality Ontario Standards: Opioid Prescribing for Chronic Pain

This quality standard includes: quality statements, patient reference guide, recommendations for adoption and a getting started guide.

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Health Quality Ontario Standards: Opioid Prescribing for Acute Pain

This quality standard includes: quality statements, patient reference guide, recommendations for adoption and a getting started guide

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Health Quality Ontario Standards: Opioid Use Disorder (Opioid Addiction)

This quality standard includes: quality statements, patient reference guide, recommendations for adoption and a getting started guide.

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BC’s Guideline for the Clinical Management of Opioid Addiction (2017)

Amidst a provincial overdose crisis, British Columbia made concerted efforts to address gaps in the provision of evidence-based treatment options and care for individuals with opioid use disorder, including the development of provincial guidelines as well as the creation of its aligned training program, the Provincial Opioid Addiction Treatment Support Program.

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Management of opioid use disorders: a national clinical practice guideline

This guideline was developed to provide Canadian health professionals with an educational tool and clinical practice recommendations for the treatment of opioid use disorder.

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Canadian Guideline for Opioids for Chronic Non-Cancer Pain

The Canadian Guideline for Opioid for Chronic Non-Cancer Pain was developed in response to concerns that Canadians are the second highest users per capita of opioids in the world, while the rates of opioid prescribing and opioid-related hospital visits and deaths have been increasing rapidly.

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Patient-Oriented Resources

Patient Resources | Self-Help Resources for Managing Chronic Pain and Mental Health - Strategies for Managing Chronic Pain: Moving Beyond Opioids

This convenient Patient Checklist of self-help resources for managing chronic pain and mental health is ideal for prescribing various resources to your patients.

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How Naloxone Saves Lives in Opioid Overdose

This video reviews when naloxone is used, how it is administered, and the way it works.

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Patient Checklist | Resources for Managing Chronic Pain and Mental Health - Mental Health, Chronic Pain, and Substance Use: Addressing the Connections

This convenient Patient Checklist of self-help resources for managing chronic pain and mental health is a fillable pdf ideal for prescribing various resources to your patients.

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RAAM Clinic Women's College Hospital Substance Use Service

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RAAM Clinics Finding Tool

A rapid access addiction medicine (RAAM) clinic is a low-barrier, walk-in clinic that patients can attend to get help for a substance use disorder without an appointment or formal referral.

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META:PHI programs and services (general)

Mentoring, Education, and Clinical Tools for Addiction: Primary Care–Hospital Integration (META:PHI) is a collaborative project to create new care pathways for addiction.

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Opioids: When you Need them and When you Don’t

A short pamphlet that explains to patients when opioids are appropriate and when they are not.

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Opioid Pain Medicines: Safety Information for Patients and Families

Handout for patients about effectiveness, adverse effects and safe handling of their opioid prescriptions.

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Opioid Use Disorder: A Guide for Patients

A series of helpful FAQs for your patients about opioid use disorder.