(195) The feasibility and value of using the SOAPP®-R to predict substance abuse in an outpatient pain clinic

Review of Opioid Prescribing in the Osteopathic and Ambulatory Setting

The opioid epidemic in the United States is one of the largest modern health crises in the nation's history. The crisis has been cultivated in academic journals, driven by the medical-pharmaceutical complex, and fueled by campaigns representing the most prestigious health care organizations and advocacy groups. Comprehensive guidelines for proper prescribing have been released in addition to state-sponsored prescription drug-monitoring programs (PDMPs) in response to overprescribing habits. When considering opioid treatment for a patient, physicians should document a thorough history of pain, give an appropriate physical examination, and complete a risk assessment using the proper diagnostic tools. Considering the osteopathic philosophy and approach to chronic pain, physicians should account for an integrative treatment approach for improved patient outcomes when considering applying the osteopathic philosophy to chronic pain management. A successful treatment plan can integrate cognitive behavioral therapy and promote self-healing by treating somatic dysfunctions with osteopathic manipulative treatment. This literature review discusses how to treat patients with chronic pain and how to properly use and prescribe opioids. The researchers analyzed the history and current status of the opioid epidemic, examined opioid management in the outpatient setting, reviewed the current domestic and international opioid prescribing guidelines, and discussed the incorporation of the osteopathic philosophy to manage chronic pain.

Detecting aberrant opioid behavior in the emergency department: a prospective study using the screener and Opioid Assessment for Patients with Pain-Revised (SOAPP®-R), Current Opioid Misuse Measure (COMM)™, and provider gestalt

Emergency department (ED) providers have limited time to evaluate patients at risk for opioid misuse. A validated tool to assess the risk for aberrant opioid behavior may mitigate adverse sequelae associated with prescription opioid misuse. We sought to determine if SOAPP-R, COMM, and provider gestalt were able to identify patients at risk for prescription opioid misuse as determined by pharmacy records at 12 months. We conducted a prospective observational study of adult patients in a high volume US ED. Patients completed the SOAPP-R and COMM, and treating EM providers evaluated patients' opioid misuse risk. We performed variable-centered, person-centered, and hierarchical cluster analyses to determine whether provider gestalt, SOAPP-R, or COMM, or a combination, predicted higher misuse risk. The primary outcome was the number of opioid prescriptions at 12 months according to pharmacy records. For 169 patients (mean age 43 years, 51% female, 73% white), correlation analysis showed a strong relationship between SOAPP-R and COMM with predicting the number of opioid prescriptions dispensed at 12 months. Provider scores estimating opioid misuse were not related to SOAPP-R and only weakly associated with COMM. In our adjusted regression models, provider gestalt and SOAPP-R uniquely predicted opioid prescriptions at 6 and 12 months. Using designated cutoff scores, only SOAPP-R detected a difference in the number of opioid prescriptions. Cluster analysis revealed that provider gestalt, SOAPP-R, and COMM scores jointly predicted opioid prescriptions. Provider gestalt and self-report instruments uniquely predicted the number of opioid prescriptions in ED patients. A combination of gestalt and self-assessment scores can be used to identify at-risk patients who otherwise miss the cutoff scores for SOAPP-R and COMM.