ASAM Pain & Addiction: Common Threads Course XXV

Thursday, April 4, 2024
9:00 am – 4:30 pm

*Not included with the full conference; separate registration required

Overview

The ASAM Pain & Addiction: Common Threads Course is one of ASAM’s longest-running and most popular courses. This advanced course is designed to deepen the clinical providers' understanding of the complexities of treatment when patients and providers navigate the gray area between pain and addiction. You will explore insights from recent critical research developments in pain and addiction treatment and consider their implications for clinical decision making and patient-centered care. You will be offered practical strategies for integrating these new takeaways and techniques into your clinical practice to optimize patient care and outcomes.

Who Should Attend

This course is intended for those in the addiction medicine field who already have experience with pain and addiction but want to stay abreast of new research and practices. Other healthcare providers and members of the care team interested and experienced in treating this patient population are also encouraged to attend.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this educational activity, participants should be able to:

Examin the historical context of prescription opioid use for chronic non-cancer pain, reflecting on lessons learned from the opioid epidemic, and their impilcations for future directions in treating complex patients with pain and addiction.
Discuss recent research on interventions for chronic pain and consider how it can inform treatment planning that may include both pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatment options.
Explore techniques for establishing effective patient-centered dialogues which focus on improving quality of life and functional outcomes, while optimizing the management of their chronic pain.
Analyze common neurologic mechanisms and central nervous system pathways influencing the overlapping eitology and treatment of opioid use disorder and chronic pain.
Discuss ways to integrate optimal diagnostic and treatment approaches for patients on long-term opioid therapy for chronic pain who do not meet the criteria for opioid use disorder.
Discuss the clinical implications of recent research regarding the benefits and risks associated with cannabis use for chronic pain.
Evaluate the impact of changes to state cannabis laws on attitudes and health outcomes related to cannabis use.
Evaluate the bidirectional relationship between unhealthy alcohol use and chronic pain.
Formulate an understanding of therapeautic potential of psychedelic drugs in the treatment of headache and chronic pain disorders based on the available research.

Program Planning Committee

Gregory Rudolf, MD, FASAM, Chair
Gregory X. Boehm, MD, DFASAM
Martin D. Cheatle, PhD
Laura M. Frankart, PharmD, Med, BCPS
Emanuel N. Husu, MD
Ajay Manhapra, MD, FASAM
Aram Mardian, MD