Practice solutions to treat opioid use disorder
The AAP recommends pediatricians prescribe medication to adolescents with opioid use disorder, provide access to developmentally appropriate treatment and reduce stigma associated with this life-threatening condition.
Pediatricians must complete eight hours of training and apply for a waiver to prescribe buprenorphine to treat opioid use disorders in general medical settings. Online, live and combined course options are available. For details, visit www.aap.org/mat (login required).
Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) in the pediatric setting improved outcomes compared with providing only detoxification to youths, according to a study from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Instructions on how to add a medication treatment protocol for opioid use disorder to your pediatric practice are available at http://bit.ly/NIDAOpioidProtocol.
When integrating the protocol into practice, pediatricians should become familiar with the school system, establish billing procedures and build a support system that includes a referral base, consultants and coverage, according to Deepa R. Camenga, M.D., M.H.S., FAAP, a member of the AAP Committee on Substance Use and Prevention.
Pediatricians can access AAP Resources to Address the Opioid Epidemic at http://bit.ly/AAPOpioidResources.
Act on these child health campaigns
Following are AAP-supported child health initiatives taking place this month and suggestions for how pediatricians can support them.
National Infant Immunization Week, April 27-May 4
Share this HealthyChildren.org article with parents on how to protect babies from measles if they are too young for the vaccine, http://bit.ly/MeaslesNIIW19.
Screen-Free Week, April 29-May5
Challenge families to go screen-free or cut back on media, http://www.healthychildren.org/MediaUsePlan.
Emergency Medical Services for Children Day, May 22
Learn how funding for this program is crucial to ensuring that children’s needs are met in emergency departments, state emergency response and research, http://bit.ly/AAPEMSC19.
National Child Abuse Prevention Month
Attend a webinar from the Technical Assistance Source for Forensic Examinations in Child Sexual Abuse, https://www.safeta.org/page/85.
Zika resources available for travelers of childbearing age
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its travel guidance for pregnant women and couples who may want to become pregnant to reflect new information on Zika.
Pediatricians can find updated information about Zika to counsel travelers who are pregnant or are of reproductive age at http://bit.ly/CDCZikaPregTrav and http://bit.ly/CDCZikaReproTrav. To find out the status of Zika in an area and recommendations, check the interactive world map, http://bit.ly/CDCZikaStatusMap.
The handout “Pregnant? Read This Before You Travel” is available at http://bit.ly/CDCZikaPregHandout.
