University of Colorado: Chronic Pain Management

Member since: December 2015

Intervention: Interprofessional Community-Academic Resource Engagement (i-CARE) Chronic Pain Management Project

Partners:

  • Sheridan Health Services, University of Colorado College of Nursing
  • University of Colorado Denver Graduate School of Social Work
  • University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
  • University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work

Occupations represented: Students and professionals from behavioral health, nursing, pharmacy, psychiatric nursing and social work.

Overview: This intervention project centers on interprofessional care to support approximately 80 adults with chronic pain. Many of the individuals in this patient cohort have not experienced regular preventive care, and so increasing access to preventive care is part of the intervention. Education about the health risks of opioids is also part of the project, and it is delivered via shared medical visits and a six-week course. Pre-intervention data about preventive care use were collected through the health system’s 2014 quality care indicators. Additionally, emergent nurse leaders will develop and demonstrate skills in interprofessional team building, collaborative problem solving, shared decision making models, and care coordination.

Outcome measures associated with patients will include awareness of opioid medication risks, attendance at shared medical visits, prevalence of substance abuse disorders, medication adherence, medication refill histories, patient toxicology reports, and number of emergency department visits. Outcome measures for health professionals working on this project will include scores on the Assessment of Interprofessional Team Collaboration Scale.

Sheridan Health Services is a nonprofit, nurse-managed federally qualified health center. It operates a community health center and a school-based clinic. Special services include child and teen care, behavioral health, dental care, women’s health, and case management. Its board includes clinic users and consumers from the Sheridan community.

Intervention study question:

  • For patients with chronic pain, what is the effect of team based care on increasing utilization of preventive healthcare?

State: 
Colorado
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