Safer Prescribing of Opioids for Pain Management
This module offers an overview and application of safer opioid prescribing practices through five patient interactions in alignment with the 2022 CDC Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Pain.
Problem
The module’s purpose was to familiarize physicians with the updated CDC Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Pain (2022) and how to apply it to effectively manage pain while minimizing the risk of opioid misuse and abuse. The challenge: the guideline is an exhaustive clinical framework. It had to be made absorbable in a short course without reducing it to drug and dose selection and losing the practice and rationale behind it.
Approach
I developed the content strategy: present the key guidelines that drive clinical decisions, then learners apply them to physician-written cases. I compiled the guidelines, created the concept map, and built the backend, including tracking that captures both knowledge-check and quiz responses, linking practice to assessment performance. My colleague wrote the storyboard, distilling the guidelines into actionable steps and structuring each case as one step in a pain management plan; led the visual design; and built the front end.
Result
Winner of two 2025 Brandon Hall Group Silver awards: Excellence in Technology (Best Advance in Education Delivered Through Technology) and Education Technology (Best E-learning Solution). Selected for inclusion in the UCEP, GCEP, and PEP curriculum packages. Served as the first live test of in-module tracking and reported flawlessly, establishing a viable, more learner-friendly alternative to an external quiz. The course consistently ranks among the highest in completions on the AMA Ed Hub™.
- Organization American Medical Association™
- Role Learning experience designer; co-designed and co-developed module, 2025
- Audience Physicians, residents
- Tools Articulate Storyline