![]() The number of patients with opioid prescriptions declined by 20 percent, and the number of patients with benzodiazepine prescriptions declined by 40 percent, with a concurrent increase in provisionment of naloxone, which can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.Ĭreating a similar tool tailored to Wisconsin pharmacists serving rural areas seemed like a logical next step. “After implementation, Fort HealthCare experienced a decline in patients with opioid, benzodiazepine, and concurrent opioid-benzodiazepine prescriptions,” she notes. ![]() The tool led to improved opioid prescribing patterns and other positive outcomes, says Erica Martin, director of practice and population health initiatives for another key collaborator, the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin (PSW). | Photo by Ingrid Laasįrom 2019 to 2021, SRC researchers joined forces with Sarah Pagenkopf (PharmD ’07), who was then FHC’s director of pharmacy, and Chris Barron (BS ’97), executive director of population health, to compare EHR data from before and after the tool’s implementation. Chris Barron (BS ’97), executive director of population health and clinical services at Fort HealthCare. The Opioid Stewardship Toolkit grew out of collaborations between FHC and the School of Pharmacy’s Sonderegger Research Center for Improved Medication Outcomes (SRC), especially projects evaluating the effectiveness of a clinical decision support tool created by Cerner, Fort HealthCare’s electronic health records (EHR) provider. Time savings can also help interventions reach rural patients sooner than they otherwise would, saving lives. ![]() “We have to find the information we need quickly so we can keep wearing all of the other hats our patients need us to wear.” ![]() “Most rural communities don’t have the same access to specialty care that larger communities tend to have, so rural providers wear many different hats,” he explains. This matters because time is so valuable in rural settings, Prickette adds. “You can adapt an existing program or someone else’s approach to a problem, possibly saving months.” “Having examples and data to build on means you don’t have to start from scratch,” he says. Tyler Prickette (PharmD ’17), clinical pharmacist with Fort HealthCare. Saving time, saving livesĪccording to Prickette, rural pharmacists can save time by learning how others have developed their opioid stewardship initiatives. There are also examples of opioid stewardship programs Wisconsin health systems have implemented, lessons these systems learned in the process, and supporting evidence that helped the programs take flight. It includes eight modules focused on issues such as getting buy-in from leadership and using electronic health records (EHR) to measure outcomes. The toolkit delivers resources and guidance to health systems that are just starting to develop opioid stewardship initiatives as well as those that are ready to expand their efforts. “By showing the role opioid stewardship programs have to play locally, this toolkit can help rural pharmacists make the largest possible impact in their communities.” “The opioid epidemic’s national impact is often in the news, but it’s not always clear what to do with this information on the local level,” he says. Designed for pharmacists in health systems that serve rural communities, the toolkit is a prime example of how the Wisconsin Idea touches lives across the Badger State.Īccording to FHC’s Tyler Prickette (PharmD ’17), a clinical pharmacist who was integral to the toolkit’s development, this new resource helps rural pharmacists amplify their impact when fighting opioid misuse. To address this crisis, a team from the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Pharmacy partnered with pharmacists from Fort HealthCare (FHC), a health system in Jefferson County, Wis., to develop a free Opioid Stewardship Toolkit debuting in 2022. Rural populations, which account for 30 percent of Wisconsinites, tend to be disproportionately affected. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an average of 207 people died each day from an opioid overdose between May 2020 and April 2021 - a 35 percent increase over the previous year. The opioid epidemic has continued to grow during the COVID-19 pandemic. Developed by School of Pharmacy alumni, faculty, and staff and collaborators, the toolkit aims to save lives By Jessica Steinhoff
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