Pain and Opioid Management in Older Adults

Overview

The extent and depth of the ongoing opioid crisis are well known and many interventions are under way in the United States and other countries to alleviate its devastating impact on individuals and the society. To address specific challenges of pain and opioid management (POM) in older and vulnerable adults, the investigators will design and implement a multi-faceted, person-centered, and scalable opioid use disorder (OUD) management program in Oklahoma primary care practices. The investigators expect that the rigorously designed and evidence-based program will establish and disseminate innovative solutions for pain and opioid management in high-risk, older and vulnerable populations living with chronic pain. The proposed initiative will help primary care practices optimize pain management approaches in older adults through an integrated and trans-disciplinary application of innovations in multi-modal pain management, pain mechanism-based pharmacotherapy, patient goal-oriented care, implementation science, evidence-based quality improvement methodology, and community-engaged design.

The project's specific aims are: 1. Building upon existing guidelines and tools that the investigators' collaborative has developed and implemented for pain and opioid management (POM), refine and tailor care processes, implementation support strategies, and shared decision support resources to the specific needs of older adults in primary care settings, using a systematic approach, including: 1. Conduct a rapid, iterative process, through which a diverse healthcare professional expert panel adapts and enhances existing POM approaches and tools to older adult patients (POMOA); 2. Implement a subsequent formative process, through which a patient and caregiver community advisory board ensures that the tailored POM approach and resources are acceptable, usable, context-sensitive and value-added for older adults and their caregivers; and 3. Assemble tailored resources to create a POMOA Toolkit from which primary care practices can select sets of resources based on their specific needs, guided by academic detailers and practice facilitators. 2. Over a 2-year period, help a minimum of 36 Oklahoma primary care practices implement a person-centered, goal-oriented, and community-linked approach to pain management, tailored to older adults. The implementation approach will include the following: 1. Using benchmarking and performance feedback, academic detailing, practice facilitation, and technology support, help practices integrate the tailored POMOA approach and resources into their workflows, focusing on improving patient functioning, self-efficacy, and the optimization of pain management; and 2. Through ongoing observation and analysis, identify facilitators and barriers to program implementation to accelerate convergence on effective and replicable methods. 3. Conduct a multi-dimensional and comprehensive evaluation of the impact of the RISE-OK program, including the measurement of the following outcomes: 1. Patient-Centered Outcomes: Patient health-related quality of life and functioning (PROMIS-29), self- efficacy for pain management using a modified Arthritis Self-Efficacy scale (ASES), pain interference (Pain-Enjoyment-General Activity), and functional goal attainment (Goal Attainment Scaling); 2. Care Quality Outcomes: Patient utilization of opioid medications (morphine milligram equivalents) and alternative therapies in older adults, change in prescribing patterns, and diversification of pharmacological and non-pharmacological pain therapies; 3. Care Process Outcomes: Impact of the program on practice-level care process outcomes (chronic opioid therapy registry use; systematic chronic opioid therapy visits; pain impact/interference measurement, pain management and risk/benefit conversations; naloxone prescription; tapering practices; patient/caregiver education; shared decision-making; referrals/community service linkages; medication assisted therapy utilization); and 4. Qualitative Outcomes: Healthcare professional, health system leadership, patient, and caregiver perceptions of the utility, effectiveness and generalizability of the RISE-OK program, explored via semi-structured interviews, exit surveys, and in-depth program implementation process observations. 4. Disseminate innovative approaches and products developed by the RISE-OK project in several ways: 1. Community-based dissemination (community-based and professional health organizations); 2. Academic dissemination (presentations, workshops, papers, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's communication professionals); Web-based and social networking-based dissemination (e.g., Research-to-Practice Exchange).