Opioid Safety Resource Center

A pharmacist counsels and comforts a patient
Opioid abuse is an ongoing epidemic that affects millions of people across all walks of life. In some cases, these prescribed medications may be the best treatment option for patients experiencing severe pain; however, their misuse can lead to opioid dependence and other serious, potentially deadly, health problems.

More than 81,000 opioid-related drug overdose deaths occurred in the U.S. in the 12 months ending in May 2020, the highest ever recorded according to the CDC, and the COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating the problem. Social distancing, limited interactions with family, isolation, job loss, financial strain, anxiety, and stress have made it much more difficult for those struggling with substance use disorder to manage their addiction. These challenging times are taking their toll on vulnerable populations and intervention is imperative.

This resource center is dedicated to helping you educate yourself and your team on how to provide opioid support at your pharmacy. Community-level engagement is essential to the safe, effective use of prescribed opioid medications, and we believe that independent pharmacies are second to none when it comes to providing that kind of high-touch, compassionate care.

 

Trainings


The Good Neighbor Pharmacy team continually assesses third-party trainings on opioid safety and will update this section periodically with the latest education opportunities relevant to independent pharmacists. While we make every effort to review the quality of the trainings displayed here, please note that these links below are for external websites not affiliated with AmerisourceBergen. Good Neighbor Pharmacy and AmerisourceBergen make no representations about the accuracy or validity of these trainings and are not involved in, or responsible for, the creation or hosting of this content. When you click on a training below, a trusted third-party website will open in a new window for you to complete the training there.

Featured training

Pathways to Safer Opioid Use

This interactive training leverages engaging storylines and high production value to promote the appropriate, safe, and effective use of opioids to manage chronic pain. It’s based on the opioid-related recommendations in the National Action Plan for Adverse Drug Event Prevention (ADE Action Plan). By taking this course, you'll learn how to:

  • Apply health literacy strategies to help patients understand how to prevent opioid-related adverse drug events (ADEs)
  • Identify risk factors, opioid medications, and interactions that increase people’s risk for opioid-related ADEs
  • Use a multidisciplinary, team-based approach for treating patients with chronic pain
  • Combine the principles of the Health Literate Care Model and the biopsychosocial model of chronic pain management through case study examples
 

Resources

Addressing Prescription Opioid Abuse and Overdose with Your Patients

Read tips specifically geared to pharmacists about establishing your role in the opioid safety continuum and talking to patients about the safe use of opioids.

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Login requirements: None

American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Opioid Use and Misuse Resource Center

Explore this extensive resource center to find a wide variety of pharmacist-focused tools, trainings, webinars, news updates and more.

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Login requirements: None

Allied Against Opioid Abuse (AAOA) Pharmacy Toolkit

Access a comprehensive toolkit that contains dozens of resources to help you engage in important conversations with your patients and healthcare provider colleagues about prescription opioids and how you can work together to prevent opioid abuse and misuse.

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Login requirements: None

National Institute on Drug Abuse Pharmacist Resource Center

Review recent substance use and addiction toolkits, resources, courses and more developed specifically for pharmacists.

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Login requirements: None

Opioid Awareness and "SBIRT" Protocol Podcast

Hear Andrew Peterson, Executive Director, Substance Use Disorders Institute, and George Downs, Professor of Clinical Pharmacy, from the University of the Sciences dive deep into identifying and treating patients, motivational interviewing techniques, and behavioral change modeling, as well as strategies and techniques like the “SBIRT” protocol for addiction prevention.

Clicks to access: 1
Login requirements: None

Patient-facing education resources

Print and digital opioid safety marketing materials are available on Brand Central Station and SOCi. You can use these materials to educate your patients about prescription opioids both in your pharmacy and on social media. Here are a few samples of the social media graphics we’ve created for you. Feel free to right click and save these images to get you started.
Opioid safety social media graphic about creating a plan for pain management
Opioid safety social media graphic about understanding opioid alternatives
Opioid safety social media graphic about how to dispose of opioids
Opioid safety social media graphic about taking opioids as prescribed
Opioid safety social media graphic about the signs and symptoms of opioid overdose

Need additional guidance on opioid safety?

Let us know what this page is missing and we'll work on adding new topics based on what you need. You can also connect with our team to get your questions answered directly.