Nurse

According to the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, approximately 3.8 million people (1.4% of those ages 12 or older) reported misusing prescription pain relievers, while another 329,000 people reported using heroin. Within the same year, 52,404 lethal overdoses took place, making drug overdose the leading cause of accidental death within the United States. Stancliff et al estimated that as of 2012, approximately 80% of people dependent on heroin or prescription opioids were not engaged in any treatment and many in treatment do not use the most effective medication-assisted treatments available to them.

Despite recent increased awareness of opioid use disorder (OUD) and efforts to improve access to care, several barriers to treatment still exist, including financial, geographic, regulatory, and social. In 2012, only 2.2% of physicians in the United States obtained waivers to prescribe buprenorphine for the treatment of OUD. Of those who received waivers, 41.6% were psychiatrists. This may be perceived as a potential barrier to OUD treatment as patients are often resistant to referrals to psychiatric and/or addiction clinics given the stigmas commonly surrounding addiction and mental health. Furthermore, physicians with waivers were found to practice primarily in urban settings, leaving a large portion of the rural population without access to buprenorphine treatment.

With all this in mind, education is needed in regards to current and emerging treatment options for OUD available to multiple patient populations. Also, with the deaths due to drug overdoses still elevated, education on how to recognize and reverse an opioid overdose is needed.

This presentation will address the above needs by discussing the science behind opioid use disorder as well as reflect upon current statistics associated with its impact on the United States. During the discussion, opioid overdose risks will be discussed and participants will be able to practice recognizing key symptoms of an overdose situation. Steps of using naloxone will be discussed and connected to how to appropriately seek out treatment for maintenance of opioid use disorder. Finally, new buprenorphine products and the potential role of naltrexone will be applied to this stigmatized population.

Countless patients choose to ingest illicit substances while also utilizing prescription medications, and as healthcare professionals, we are left with barely any education on these substances. More education is needed in order to actually provide tangible life-saving, or at least life-improving, patient education.

Forget polypharmacy, what about poly substance abuse? Every 7 minutes an American dies of a drug overdose, propelling pharmacists to expand our knowledge on illicit substances. We humans have always aimed to experience the amplified effects of natural and synthetic substances that produce euphoria. The line between clinical and criminal utilization of substances if often blurred. In our society today, we have a very “objective” classification of substances based on generally accepted medical use and a respective propensity to become habit forming. However, as one can recall with the substance of ethyl alcohol (i.e., beer, wine, and hard liquor), a substance may never actually chemically change, yet can move across legal classifications of substances. How does that happen? Well, join our discussion on illicit substances to learn how numerous illicit substances have similar, if not the same, mechanisms of action as legal prescription medications readily available today. The time has come (Just Say NOW) to progress from “Just Say No” to “Just Say Know”!

This activity aims to assist healthcare professionals in understanding how cannabis can take its place in the medical world. It discusses medicinal cannabis’ uses, modes of administrations, mechanism of action, common drug interactions, and considerations for special populations.

This 2-hour CE discusses vaccine recommendations, as outlined in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Immunization Schedule. It presents a comparison of COVID-19 vaccine formulations, updates of authorized and approved vaccines, updates on vaccines to other infectious diseases such as varicella, pneumococcus and hepatitis, and reminders of contraindications and precautions for vaccines covered.

This video activity focuses on ways to help early detection of breast cancer by learning the risk factors, the different screening and diagnostic modalities and guidelines to what kind of screening is needed, and most importantly, when should screening begin.

From October to December, 2022, 50% of the proceeds from this course will be donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Despite the advances in breast cancer detection and treatment, on the psychological side, clinicians who have been involved in the emotional care of cancer patients can report that a breast cancer diagnosis can nevertheless generate many concerns for patients, as well as their families. Psychological interventions for breast cancer patients have well-documented success in reducing distress and enhancing psychosocial adaptation to disease. As such, these interventions have been highlighted as important mechanisms by which physical health can be improved. This activity focuses on the common issues that impact psychological adjustment to breast cancer and interventions that will help optimize care in the cancer context.

There is a growing prevalence of breast cancer among adolescents and young adults (AYAs) aged 15 to 39 years old, and people of color (POCs). Breast cancer tends to present as more advance and aggressive forms in both of these demographics and is unfortunately associated with higher mortality rates than other populations in whom mortality rates have been decreasing over the last few decades.

This activity highlights the current trends, challenges, and health disparities experienced by AYAs and POCs with breast cancer, and provides insight into possible ways of improving screening and overall management of these patients.