OCTOBER 23, 2019
INDIANAPOLIS—In the midst of the opioid crisis, prescribing opioids can come with a stigma, said Sophia L. Thomas, DNP, FNP, PNP, FAANP.
But nurse practitioners (NPs) are fully trained to treat chronic pain with opioids or without, or treating the repercussions of opioid use, Dr. Thomas said.
That’s partly due to guidance from the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), seeking to meet patients’ needs with alternative options and healthy approaches to pain
INDIANAPOLIS—In the midst of the opioid crisis, prescribing opioids can come with a stigma, said Sophia L. Thomas, DNP, FNP, PNP, FAANP.
But nurse practitioners (NPs) are fully trained to treat chronic pain with opioids or without, or treating the repercussions of opioid use, Dr. Thomas said.
That’s partly due to guidance from the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), seeking to meet patients’ needs with alternative options and healthy approaches to pain management.
“I grew up as a nurse practitioner for 23 years,” said Dr. Thomas, who was elected the president of the AANP in June 2019. “We were told a patient’s pain is what they say it is. So now we’ve come full circle. Now we have to ensure we’re prescribing appropriately.”
To treat pain comprehensively and wield the tools of pain medicine, AANP works to educate NPs about therapies for opioid withdrawal, while ensuring the safe prescribing of medications for whatever pain concerns their patients may have. In many states, NPs are now being trained in medication-assisted treatment (MAT), taking a 24-hour course to be certified.
The eligibility for NPs and physician assistants to prescribe MAT, such as buprenorphine, was made a reality with 2018 legislation from the Trump administration, cementing an originally temporary waiver. In addition to its 24-hour course, AANP has created specialty practice groups, such as its pain management group of more than 800 members, to gather people together for discussions of best practices and constantly changing legislation, keeping with the differing prescribing laws of each state. Along with that, other courses educate on topics such as opioid tapering and withdrawal and alternative therapies.
For NPs who are worried about the opioid crisis, and thinking about topics like appropriate prescribing and nonopioid pain treatments, Dr. Thomas said to “continue their education. There’s information about complementary [and] alternative therapies regarding any disorder. Take advantage of what is out there.”
Dr. Thomas added that as pain issues and crises evolve, AANP will be at the forefront, continuing to provide the best high-quality care and the best evidence-based care, whatever health care issues come, in a team-based approach, with the patient being the center.
A Q&A with Dr. Thomas also appeared in print in the September 2019 NP/PA issue of Pain Medicine News. New episodes of ON PAIN, as well as all previous episodes, appear at PainMedicineNews.com/Multimedia.
—Peter Zhong, Meaghan Lee Callaghan and Michael DePeau-Wilson
Editor’s note: The views expressed in this commentary belong to the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect those of the publication.
