This course explores the intersection of pain management, serious illness, and opioid use disorder (OUD). While following a case example, participants will learn to recognize opioid misuse and OUD in patients with serious illnesses and identify appropriate screening and assessment strategies. The course will examine evidence-based, multimodal approaches to managing pain while incorporating harm reduction strategies and medications such as buprenorphine and methadone. Emphasis will be placed on compassionate, stigma-reducing, patient-centered communication and interdisciplinary collaboration across palliative care, addiction medicine, oncology, hospice, and primary care to improve outcomes for patients experiencing both pain and substance use disorders.
This webinar was recorded live in 2026 through a collaborative partnership between the CAM Academy, Denver Health’s Addiction Education Collaborative and the Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention, funded by the Denver Overdose Data 2 Action Grant.