Course description
There is plenty of confusing and contradictory information available about using opiods to treat chronic pain. There are issues around addiction, dependency, and overdose that can be hard to understand.
Dr. Andrea Furlan helps us navigate the difficult topic of using opiods for chronic pain treatment. She uses recent research to discuss the myths and realities about addiction and opiods. Her talk also provides some useful tactics to encourage conversation between patients and physicians about the role of opioids in treatment.
This webinar will help you:
- Describe the difference between endorphins, opioids and opium
- Review the myths and realities about addiction and opioids
- Reflect on beliefs and attitudes regarding opioids
- Acquire skills to improve communication between patients and physicians about opioids
Dr. Furlan is an associate scientist at the Institute for Work & Health. She is also a member of the editorial board of the Cochrane Back Review Group, a physician at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, and assistant professor in the Department of Medicine’s Division of Physiatry at the University of Toronto. She completed her residency in physiatry at the University of São Paulo in Brazil, and obtained her PhD in clinical epidemiology from the University of Toronto. Her thesis focused on methods to search and analyze non-randomized studies of interventions for low back pain. She also completed a two-year clinical fellowship in physiatry at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. Her main research interests include chronic pain, low-back pain and neuropathic pain