Oncology Providers Assessment of Risks for Opioid-Related Adverse Events

Abstract

In light of the opioid epidemic, which is responsible for more than 47,000 deaths in 2017, the need to improve the assessment of opioid event risks is a new clinical challenge, especially in oncology patients. In 2018, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) released recommendations to screen oncology patients at risk for an opioid adverse event and coprescribing Naloxone. The purpose of this project was to improve knowledge and self-efficacy in oncology advanced practice providers and physicians in screening oncology patients at risk for an opioid adverse event and indications for Naloxone. The design of this project was a quasiexperiment with a pre/post-education survey method. The Plan-Do-Study-Act framework was utilized as a guide to complete this study. The sample included oncology advanced practice providers and physicians. The educational intervention was based on ASCO clinical recommendations. The setting was a cancer institute with 66 prospective subjects. The study was approved by the University at Buffalo Institutional Review Board (IRB) and letters of support were obtained from the study site prior to initiating research (Appendix A). Results indicted a significant increase in knowledge and self-efficacy after reviewing the educational intervention. Implications encompass the improvement of risk-mitigation to prevent opioid overdose mortality. The educational intervention improved knowledge and comfort to assess oncology patients at risk for an opioid adverse event and indications to co-prescribe Naloxone. The educational intervention should be used as a framework to develop a standardized inpatient tool to improve efforts to better manage patients at risk for opioid adverse events.