Enhancing Opioid Stewardship in Rural Wisconsin Health Systems: A Toolkit for Pharmacists
Background
In response to the opioid crisis, Wisconsin health systems serving rural communities are developing opioid stewardship programs to facilitate appropriate opioid prescribing, opioid disposal, diversion prevention, management of the effects of the use of opioids, treatment of opioid use disorder and reducing opioid overdoses.
Health system pharmacists often lead these efforts and have many vital roles to play in opioid stewardship. This toolkit presents examples of opioid stewardship initiatives that Wisconsin pharmacists have implemented along with supporting evidence, curated information about resources and tools.
Who Should Use This Toolkit?
This toolkit is intended for pharmacists working in health systems that serve rural communities to provide guidance on implementing opioid stewardship to improve patient care and safety. Each health system is at a different stage of developing opioid stewardship initiatives.
This toolkit is intended to be useful for health systems at varying stages in the development process. It includes guidance and resources for those who are just beginning to implement opioid stewardship initiatives as well as for those who are looking to expand current opioid stewardship initiatives.
What Does the Toolkit Contain?
The toolkit contains 8 modules each focused on a different opioid stewardship topic and formatted as Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) relating to the topic. You will find supporting evidence, curated information about resources, strategies for how to implement opioid stewardship, and tools (e.g., templates for charter, agendas).
Two key features of the toolkit are podcast episodes and audio clips from interviews with Wisconsin pharmacists sharing their opioid stewardship experiences, lessons learned and advice. Not all sections of this toolkit will be useful to everyone. Look for what you think is the most useful and start there.
Development of Toolkit
This toolkit was co-developed by team of researchers (Co-Principal Investigators: Michelle Chui, David Mott & Martha Maurer) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy – Sonderegger Research Center in collaboration with practicing pharmacists from Fort HealthCare (Sarah Pagenkopf and Tyler Prickette). This project developed from the successful collaboration between SoP and pharmacy leadership from Fort HealthCare in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin and the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin. Pharmacists from other Wisconsin health systems serving rural communities contributed to the toolkit, providing examples of their successes and challenges with opioid stewardship.
This project was supported by the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health’s Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, Dissemination & Implementation Launchpad.
The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the funders.
Please send questions, comments and suggestions to Martha Maurer at mamaurer@wisc.edu.
Citation
Chui M, Mott D. Enhancing Opioid Stewardship in Rural Wisconsin Health Systems: A Toolkit for Pharmacists. University of Wisconsin – Madison School of Pharmacy Sonderegger Research Center for Improved Medication Outcomes. Madison, WI; 2022.