September 3, 2009
Dear Michigan Cancer Pain Initiative Members,
September is Pain Awareness Month - a great time for the MCPI newsletter to come out! Check out Governor Granholm's proclamation of Pain Awareness Month here.
First, I would like to thank you for your ongoing support on the Michigan Cancer Pain Initiative. We continue to be active in our state in advocacy and public policy as well as professional and public education.
Our priority agenda for the past year has been improved recognition and management of pain in nursing home residents. A successful series of activities concluded with a presentation to nurse educators involved in training of certified nursing assistants and NF nurses at the Michigan Nursing Summit in August.
Next, I want to invite you to our annual membership meeting, which will be held this year in conjunction with the Great Lakes Cancer Nursing Conference in Kalamazoo on Tuesday, October 20 at 430 PM. More details can be found in the attached flyer - our membership meeting will immediately follow the last plenary session on Tuesday.
Finally, I would like to share the exciting news that Steve Creamer from the Bureau of Health Professions and I will be presenting at the national meeting of the Alliance of State Pain Initiatives in October 24 on Statewide Collaborations in Pain Management: The Michigan Model. We are honored to be able to share the work we have done in Michigan with pain initiatives from all over the country.
The summer has gone by so quickly this year. It is hard to believe that another school year is starting as well as a new year for MCPI. Thanks for everything you have done to support our organization: together, we really can change things!
I hope to see you at the membership meeting next month. More MCPI news below.
Karen Ogle, MD
President, Michigan Cancer Pain Initiative
News from the Michigan Cancer Pain Initiative
Conquering Pain Together Project
From MCPI member and Michigan Power Over Pain coordinator, Jannie White:
In recognition of September as Pain Awareness Month, the American Pain Foundation (APF) announces the launch of the Conquering Pain Together project. "Conquering Pain Together" is an exciting new public awareness campaign that will be the focus of our efforts during the month of September-there are ways for everyone to contribute to this campaign! Professional presentations and community events are planned in communities throughout the country to highlight the need for improved access to appropriate and effective pain care.
The Conquering Pain Together site directs visitors to an online "I COMMIT" petition (don't wait, sign on NOW!) and features a list of planned local activities to bring the topic of pain to the forefront. The site also includes an easy-to-use toolkit with materials to raise awareness about pain issues in communities and information about what YOU can do for the first-ever National Day of Action scheduled for September 26th. TAKE ACTION AND JOIN THE MOVEMENT. Visit Conquering Pain Together.
Responsible Opioid Prescribing - CME Online Now Available through ASPI
The Michigan Bureau of Health Professions will be sending licensed Michigan physicians, medical residents, physician assistants, and advance practice nurses whose official address of record is in Michigan, a copy of the Federation of State Medical Boards' (FSMB) book, Responsible Opioid Prescribing: A Physician's Guide. This clear, concise handbook has been written for the FSMB by Scott M. Fishman, M.D., Chief of the Division of Pain Medicine and Professor of Anesthesiology at the University of California Davis, and Past President of the American Academy of Pain Medicine.
The Continuing Medical Education (CME) accredited version of the book Responsible Opioid Prescribing is already available. To find out more information about the CME activity, visit ASPI's Responsible Opioid Prescribing web page. This activity is jointly sponsored by the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, the Alliance of State Pain Initiatives, and the Federation of State Medical Boards.
Pain Management and Palliative Care Program in the Michigan state government
The Bureau of Health Professions recently established a new Pain Management and Palliative Care Program, the mission of which is to assist both health care professionals and the public in providing and being provided safe, adequate and appropriate pain and symptom management. This may be the first such position funded anywhere in the US.
Susan Affholter has been appointed as the staff resource for the program; many MCPI members will recognize Susan's name as a longtime friend in the Deaprtment of Community Health. Additional information about this can be found on the Bureau's Pain and Symptom Management website, and Susan can be reached at (517) 373-7303 or affholters@michigan.gov.
Michigan Automated Prescription System (MAPS)
Users of MAPS - - dentists, veterinarians, physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and pharmacists - - are encouraged to request MAPS reports on their patients to review their prescription records of Schedule II - V controlled substances. Online requests for reports take, on average, less than five minutes.
Become a MAPS user today! It takes only minutes to register as a user of MAPS. For registration instructions or for more information on MAPS, please visit the Department of Community Health website, or email MAPS at mapsinfo@michigan.gov. If you would like to speak with one of the MAPS staff, call 517-373-1737.
Pain Resource Nurse Training
The Resource Center of the Alliance of State Pain Initiatives and the Wisconsin Pain Initiative are pleased to announce a unique opportunity to apply to attend the Training Course for Pain Resource Nurse (PRN) Program Coordinators. PRN programs are designed to prepare staff nurses to act as role models and resources for the day-to-day care of patients in pain. We invite you or a nursing leader from your organization to consider applying to attend the trainers' course November 13-14, 2009 in Chicago, IL. Please apply early as the program will be limited to 50 participants (one per institution unless space permits).
Global Year Against Cancer Pain
This is the "Global Year Against Cancer Pain," and the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) has a number of excellent fact sheets on cancer pain available, and you can find them here.
Guidelines for Opioid Prescribing
We continue to struggle with a balanced policy that reduces the risks of abuse and addiction but also makes pain relief more readily available to those in need. The American Pain Society released new guidelines for the prescription of opioids earlier this year. These guidelines are available here.
Understanding Opioid Metabolism
A recent article in Mayo Clinic Proceedings discusses both patient characteristics and distinctions between the various opioids that contribute to differences in their metabolism and variability of efficacy, safety, and tolerability. This excellent review for prescribers by Howard Smith can be found here.
Pocket Analgesic Card from SCCPI
This pocket reference card from the Southern California Cancer Pain Initiative makes an excellent teaching tool or handout, and an updated version is due out this month. You can download it here. (PDF)
Michigan Pain Management Web Site
If you have not already seen the Michigan Pain Management web site developed by the Department of Community Health, check it out.