Opioid Prescribing Practices Clinical Pathway

Children’s Hospital Colorado’s opioid prescribing clinical pathway provides guidance on management of acute pain and safe opioid prescribing in the ED, inpatient, and outpatient settings including recommendations on how to handle risky substance use screening and PDMP findings.

The Pathway:

• Aligns with new AAP opioid prescribing recommendations
• Has patient handouts and screening tools linked in the pathway
• Separates algorithms for ambulatory, inpatient, and ED
• Includes decision making assistance, weaning recommendations, medication tables, and handouts

Opioid Prescribing Practices Clinical Pathway

• Opioid Prescribing Practices Clinical Pathway

About our Opioid Prescribing Best Practices Clinical Pathway

The Opioid Prescribing Practices Clinical Pathway offers best practice recommendations for patients with acute pain requiring opioid therapy in the hospital and possibly at discharge. Recommendations include the best available evidence and expert consensus to inform opioid prescribing practices, effective pain management, and patient/family education on safe opioid use, storage, and disposal, as well as naloxone co-prescribing.

Highlights include

• Medication options for acute pain management in the emergency, inpatient, and ambulatory settings
• Recommendations aligned with the American Academy of Pediatrics clinical practice guideline
• Medication tables including non-opioid medication, opioid medications, and medications to manage opioid induced constipation
• Recommendations on opioid weaning 

The goal of the Agile MD format for these clinical pathways is to optimize evidence-based care for patients while improving workflow and enhancing the care team dynamic.