Articles

With financial support from the Board of Licensure in Medicine, the Maine Medical Association has prepared educational material on treatment of chronic pain and prevention of prescription drug abuse for placement on the MMA website.  Physicians will find the Board's Chapter 21 rules, sample narcotic contracts, information on the Prescription Monitoring Program and a description of best practices.  Links to other appropriate sites are available as well.  Suggestions for additional resources should be directed to Gordon Smith, Esq., at MMA.  No cost office consultations and live educational presentations on the same topics are also available by contacting Mr. Smith.

• MMA/BOLIM Chronic Pain Project CME Home Study
• New York Times 4/8/12 Article - Tightening the Lid on Pain Prescriptions
• LD 1501 Work Group's Final Report to the Legislature
• White House Report -Prescription Drug Abuse
• White House Report - Epidemic: Responding To America's Prescription Drug Abuse Crisis
• Leading Change: A Plan for SAMHSA’s Roles and Action Goal 1.4: Reduce prescription drug misuse and abuse
• Full text articles regarding treatment of pain
• An interesting guideline from Washington state (WA state)
• The International Association for the Study of Pain has Clinical Updates available free of charge, available on-line
• An excellent review of Diagnosis and Treatment of Low Back Pain is available as a clinical practice guideline from the American Pain Society and the American College of Physicians (Oct, 2007)
• A good article summarizing use and interpretation of urine drug screens is available in full text. Look for Moeller, KE, Lee, KC, and Kissack, JC; Urine Drug Screening: Practical Guide for Clinicians; Mayo Clinic Proceedings; Jan, 2008; 83(1):66-76

A Recent Guideline

Chou R, Fanciullo GJ, Fine PG, et al; Clinical Guidelines for the Use of Chronic Opioid Therapy in Chronic Noncancer Pain; The Journal of Pain; Vol. 10, No. 2 (February), 2009; pp. 113-130.