Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies for Older Adults with Persistent Pain
Authors: Arnstein Paul , Herr Keela 
Published: February 2013

How to Obtain Contact Hours by Reading this Article

Instructions

1.3
contact hours will be awarded by Villanova University College of Nursing upon successful completion of this activity. A contact hour is a unit of measurement that denotes 60 minutes of an organized learning activity. This is a learner-based activity. Villanova University College of Nursing does not require submission of your answers to the quiz. A contact hour certificate will be awarded once you register, pay the registration fee, and complete the evaluation form online at
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. To obtain contact hours you must:

1.
Read the article, “Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies for Older Adults with Persistent Pain” found on pages 56–65, carefully noting any tables and other illustrative materials that are included to enhance your knowledge and understanding of the content. Be sure to keep track of the amount of time (number of minutes) you spend reading the article and completing the quiz.

2.
Read and answer each question on the quiz. After completing all of the questions, compare your answers to those provided within this issue. If you have incorrect answers, return to the article for further study.

3.
Go to the Villanova website listed above to register for contact hour credit. You will be asked to provide your name; contact information; and a VISA, MasterCard, or Discover card number for payment of the $20.00 fee. Once you complete the online evaluation, a certificate will be automatically generated.

This activity is valid for continuing education credit until March 31, 2015.

Contact Hours
This activity is co-provided by Villanova University College of Nursing and SLACK Incorporated.
Villanova University College of Nursing is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

Activity Objective

1.
Recognize factors for Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies for older adults with persistent pain.

Disclosure Statement
Neither the planners nor the authors have any conflicts of interest to disclose.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies for certain analgesic agents, but all medicines for older adults warrant risk-reduction considerations. Although not all older adults have pain, a higher prevalence of persistent pain exists in this population. Nursing actions are needed to minimize the negative impact persistent pain, analgesic agents, or both have on physical, mental, and social functioning. Practices vary considerably, ranging from failing to use analgesic agents for older adults with considerable pain to exposing them to potentially life-threatening toxicities, overdoses, or drug interactions. Older adults tend to be more vulnerable to side effects and drug interactions due to differences in drug distribution, metabolism, and elimination; thus, vigilant assessment and monitoring is needed to mitigate risks whenever analgesic agents are used. This review delineates these vulnerabilities while informing clinicians of the strategies needed to promote safe, effective use of medications when treating pain in older adults.