Assessments
Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale (COWS)
This tool can be used in both inpatient and outpatient settings to reproducibly rate common signs and symptoms of opiate withdrawal and monitor these symptoms over time.
Diagnosis, Intractability, Risk and Efficacy (DIRE)
DIRE Score: Patient Selection for Chronic Opioid Analgesia
NIDA Quick Screen V1.0
Details the NIDA Quick Screen with a reflex to NIDA-Modified ASSIST.
Opioid Risk Tool (ORT)
The Opioid Risk Tool (ORT) is a brief, self-report screening tool designed for use with adult patients in primary care settings to assess risk for opioid abuse among individuals prescribed opioids for treatment of chronic pain.
PEG13: A Three-Item Scale Assessing Pain
Development and Initial Validation of the PEG, a Three-item Scale Assessing Pain Intensity and Interference
Validation of a Brief Measure of Opioid Dependence: The Rapid Opioid Dependence Screen (RODS)
This study reports on the initial validation of the RODS among a sample of 97 newly incarcerated, HIV-positive individuals.
General
Addiction Center’s Glossary of Drug Street Names
Use this glossary to see the brand, generic, and street names of various drugs.
CDC HIV Surveillance Special Report: HIV Infection Risk, Prevention, and Testing Behaviors Among Persons Who Inject Drugs
This CDC infographic details findings from National Behavioral Surveillance on behaviors of people who inject drugs in relation to HIV risk, prevention, and testing.
COVID-19 Pandemic Provides Opportunity To Realign Self-Help Groups With Medications For People With Opioid Use Disorder
In this month’s issue of Health Affairs, Hefei Wen and coauthors analyze national data on opioid addiction treatment. In response to world events, we asked the authors to put their work in the context of the current COVID-19 crisis.
Incorporating Opioid Use Disorder Screening and Treatment into HIV and HCV Management
View this slide deck to gain insights on the critical role ID specialists and hepatologists can play in addressing the ongoing opioid use disorder (OUD) epidemic and learn practical strategies for incorporating OUD screening, patient evaluation, and treatment into HIV and HCV care settings.
My Recovery DC
Treatment and recovery are part of the journey from addiction to health.
Needle Exchange in DC
Providers and locations in the District of Columbia that provide needle exchange and harm reduction services
New Treatment Center – Arlington Recovery Center
The announcement of a new treatment center in Arlington, VA
NIH National Institute on Drug Abuse – Opioids
Opioids are a class of drugs that include the illegal drug heroin, synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, and pain relievers available legally by prescription.
Opioid Awareness Campaign and Education
Opioid awareness and education in the DC metro area.
Opioid Clinic Use Doubles After COVID Arrives at Alabama HIV Center
At a large HIV clinic in Birmingham, Alabama, overall appointments for outpatient opioid use disorder (OUD) doubled after the COVID-19 epidemic arrived in March 2020.
Opioid death rates soared in communities where pain pills flowed
Death rates from opioids soared in the towns, cities and counties that were saturated with billions of prescription pain pills from 2006 through 2012, according to government death data and a previously undisclosed database of opioid shipments.
States Allowing Telehealth Prescriptions for Opioid Use Disorder
A Resource from the National Academy for State Health Policy
Suicide, opioids tied to ongoing fall in US life expectancy: Third year of drop
American life expectancy continues to decline, with high mortality rates largely fueled by suicide and drug overdoses — both growing public health crises that reflect deficiencies across many social determinants of health.
The American Opioid Epidemic in Special Populations: Five Examples
This manuscript identifies segments of the population that are disproportionately affected by the opioid epidemic. It reviews why each group is an important area of focus, current barriers encountered in accessing care, promising approaches in supporting these populations, and high-impact research and action priorities.
Trauma-informed, Recovery-oriented System of Care Toolkit
The Trauma-informed, Recovery-oriented System of Care Toolkit,gives actionable guidance to create a framework to implement trauma-informed and recovery focused initiatives, along with scripts, tools, concrete strategies and recommendations for your community.
Understanding the Opioid Overdose Epidemic
Drug overdose deaths continue to increase in the United States. Learn more about the opioid overdose epidemic.
Harm Reduction
COVID-19 Harm Reduction Toolkit
The COVID-19 Harm Reduction Toolkit, created by Higher Ground Harm Reduction, Reynolds Health Strategies and global health organization Vital Strategies, provides informative fact sheets, tips and guidance for people who use drugs, engage in sex work, those who are unhoused, and the stakeholders who work with these communities.
Getting Off Right: A Safety Manual for Injection Drug Users
A Safety Manual for Injection Drug Users
How to Get Rid of a Sharps Container
Safe Disposal of Needles and Other Sharps Used At Home, At Work, or While Traveling
Topics to Cover With Patients Who Smoke & Snort
What is Heroin?
U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration Diversion Control Division’s Controlled Substance Public Disposal Locations
Use this search utility to find public disposal locations for controlled substances
U.S. Food and Drug Administration Safe Opioid Disposal – Remove the Risk Outreach Toolkit
Remove the Risk Toolkit raises awareness of the serious dangers of keeping unused opioid pain medication in the home and provides information about safe disposal of these medicines.
Van Asher’s Fentanyl Test Strip Video
Informative video on the correct way to use test strips to detect Fentanyl in drugs.
MAT
Alcohol Rehab Help: 12 Step Programs
Alcohol Rehab Help's webpage details pertinent information on creating, defining, and implementing 12-step programs.
Buprenorphine Practitioner Locator
Find practitioners authorized to treat opioid dependency with buprenorphine by state.
Free MAT Trainings for Prescribers
The overarching goal of PCSS is to provide the most effective evidenced-based clinical practices in the prevention of OUD through proper opioid prescribing practices, identifying patients with OUD, and the treatment of opioid use disorder.
Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) for Opioid Use Disorder in Jails and Prisons: A Planning and Implementation Toolkit
To reduce risk of opioid overdose and recidivism and to better serve incarcerated individuals with opioid use disorder, the National Council, in partnership with Vital Strategies and faculty from Johns Hopkins University, developed a new resource guide titled: Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in Jails and Prisons: A Planning and Implementation Toolkit.
PCSS Overview of Medications for Addiction Treatment
Medications for Addiction Treatment (MAT) of Substance Use Disorders involves a combination of a medications that targets the brain, and psychosocial interventions (e.g., counseling, skills development) aimed at improving treatment outcomes. Research shows that medications and therapy together may be more successful than either treatment method alone. Learn more about MAT Waiver Training!
Provider’s Clinical Support System for Medication-Assisted Treatment
PCSS is a program funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) created in response to the opioid overdose epidemic to train primary care providers in the evidence-based prevention and treatment of opioid use disorders (OUD) and treatment of chronic pain.
SAMHSA’s Medication-Assisted Treatment for Substance Use Disorders Opioid Treatment Program Directory
Select a state and find all of the contact information of the opioid treatment centers located within the selected state.
The ASAM Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder Course
The ASAM Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder (TOUD) Course covers all medications and treatments for opioid use disorder, and provides the required education needed to obtain the waiver to prescribe buprenorphine. ASAM is an approved provider by CSAT/SAMHSA of DATA 2000 training.
The Curbsiders Podcast #187 Buprenorphine Master Class: Managing Opioid Use Disorder for the Generalist
Get comfortable with counseling and pharmacotherapy for OUD with tips from Dr. Michael Fingerhood (Johns Hopkins). We review building a therapeutic relationship with people with substance use disorders, the differences between the three FDA-approved medications for opioid use disorder, and the nitty-gritty of prescribing buprenorphine.
Overdose Prevention
Local Opioid Prevention and Response: A Primer for Local Health Departments
Create a free account and download the link on the right side of page. Local Opioid Prevention and Response: A Primer for Local Health Departments serves to inform local health departments about the domestic opioid epidemic and share success stories from LHDs currently engaged in opioid-related efforts.
Naloxone (Narcan®) One Pager
A brief resource guide for the use of Naloxone and important information on the life saving drug.
Offering Naloxone to Patients
Here you will find information you need to start prescribing and dispensing naloxone rescue kits, including some useful resources containing further information about this life-saving medicine.
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Screening for Unhealthy Drug Use
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released a final recommendation statement on screening for unhealthy drug use. That Task Force found that clinicians should ask adults about their drug use and connect people who have a problem to care.
Pain Management
Kaiser Permanente’s Proactive Approach to Opioid Management
A proactive, proven approach to addressing the opioid epidemic
Project Lazarus and Community of Care North Carolina Pain Management Toolkits
Project Lazarus and Community Care of North Carolina developed the Chronic Pain Initiative toolkits below to provide best practices and protocol for Primary Care Providers and Emergency Departments
Sample Patient Agreement Form
This resource includes two sample patient agreement forms that can be used with patients who are beginning long-term treatment with opioid analgesics or other controlled substances.
Prescribing Guidelines
2019 Recommendations of the AMA Opioid Task Force
AMA Opioid Task Force issues new recommendations to urge policymakers to protect patients' access to evidence-based treatment and remove barriers to comprehensive pain care
Beyond Antibiotics: A Practical Guide for the Infectious Disease Physician to Treat Opioid Use Disorder in the Setting of Associated Infectious Diseases
Guidelines for comanagement of OUD and infectious diseases
CDC Guidelines at a Glance
CDC guideline for prescribing opioids for chronic pain.
CDC Opioid Prescribing Guidelines
This guideline provides recommendations for primary care clinicians who are prescribing opioids for chronic pain outside of active cancer treatment, palliative care, and end-of-life care.
FDA issues warning for products marketed to treat opioid withdrawal
The FDA sent a warning letter to EPH Technologies, accusing it of marketing and selling unapproved drugs.
Framing Opioid Prescribing Guidelines for Acute Pain: Developing the Evidence
This report recommends two frameworks—an analytic framework and an evidence evaluation framework—that medical professional societies, health care organizations, and state, national, and local agencies could use to develop CPGs for prescribing opioids to manage acute pain.
Minnesota Opioid Prescribing Guidelines, First Edition 2018
This is the first edition of the Minnesota Opioid Prescribing Guidelines.
States Allowing Telehealth Prescriptions for Opioid Use Disorder
A Resource from the National Academy for State Health Policy
The ASAM National Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder – 2020 Focused Update
The ASAM National Practice Guideline 2020 focused update is intended to inform and empower clinicians, health system administrators, criminal justice system administrators, and policymakers who are interested in implementing evidence-based practices to improve outcomes for individuals with OUD. This is especially critical in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 emergency, which threatens to curtail patient access to evidence-based treatment.
The COVID-19 Pandemic: Practice and Policy Considerations For Patients with Opioid Use Disorder
This article details US policy updates that are loosening restrictions around MOUD prescribing in light of COVID-19.
Tapering
CDC Pocket Guide: Tapering Opioids for Chronic Pain
Follow up regularly with patients to determine whether opioids are meeting treatment goals and whether opioids can be reduced to lower dosage or discontinued.
HHS Guide for Clinicians on the Appropriate Dosage Reduction or Discontinuation of Long-Term Opioid Analgesics
HHS's guide on dosage reduction, tapering, or discontinuation of long term opioid analgesics.
Treatment
American Society of Addiction Medicine: Appropriate Use of Drug Testing in Clinical Addiction Medicine
This resource provides guidance about the effective use of drug testing in the identification, diagnosis, treatment, and promotion of recovery for patients with, or at risk for, addiction.
Clinical Mentoring for Treating OUD
The overarching goal of PCSS is to provide the most effective evidenced-based clinical practices in the prevention of OUD through proper opioid prescribing practices, identifying patients with OUD, and the treatment of opioid use disorder.
Essentials of Opioid Use Disorder: A Resource for Hepatologists and Infectious Disease Specialists Managing HCV and/or HIV Infection
Download this PDF guide outlining key information on identifying and treating opioid use disorder among patients with HIV and or HCV infection.
Motivational Interviewing (MI) Resources and Webinars
Motivational Interviewing is a clinical approach that helps people with mental health, substance use disorders and other chronic conditions.
New Treatment Center – Arlington Recovery Center
The announcement of a new treatment center in Arlington, VA
PCSS Resources for Health Professionals, Patients and Community
These resources for treating OUD and chronic pain were developed for health professionals, patients, family members and significant others of patients and the general community to learn more about the evidence-based treatment of opioid use disorders and the treatment of chronic pain.
The ASAM National Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder – 2020 Focused Update
The ASAM National Practice Guideline 2020 focused update is intended to inform and empower clinicians, health system administrators, criminal justice system administrators, and policymakers who are interested in implementing evidence-based practices to improve outcomes for individuals with OUD.
The Opioid Crisis and the Black/African American Population: An Urgent Issue
This issue brief presents recent data on prevalence of opioid misuse and death rates in the Black/AA population; contextual factors & challenges to prevention & treatment; innovative outreach & engagement strategies to connect people to evidence-based treatment; and the importance of community voice.
TIP 63: Medications for Opioid Use Disorder – Full Document
This Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) reviews the use of the three Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications used to treat OUD—methadone, naltrexone, and buprenorphine—and the other strategies and services needed to support recovery for people with OUD.
