This Learning Pathway contains training and tools for psychiatry and mental health professionals to support patients living with serious illness, including having difficult discussions about goals of care and decision-making, identifying symptoms and substance use disorders that impact quality of life, and addressing caregiver burden.

Introduction to Palliative Care

An introduction to palliative care, how it is delivered, its impact on quality of life, and the growing population of patients who need it.

Discussing Serious News

Learn best practices for having patient-centered conversations about a serious illness diagnosis.

Clarifying Patient Goals of Care

Learn best practices for building trust, eliciting patient values, and having patient-centered conversations about goals of care.

Leading a Patient and Caregiver Meeting

Learn to effectively lead meetings that help patients and caregivers become aligned around the patient’s goals.

Supporting the Family Caregiver: The Burden of Serious Illness

Assessing and supporting caregivers of people with serious illness.

Course 1: Pain and its Impact on Our Patients
New

Learn to define and characterize pain, recognize the prevalence of pain, understand disparities in pain management based on race, ethnicity, and gender.

Course 2: How to Perform a Comprehensive Pain Assessment
New

Learn the components of a comprehensive pain assessment and its importance in safe and effective pain management.

Course 3: Matching Treatment to Pain Type
New

Gain an overview of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic pain treatments, including risks and benefits, and learn how to match the analgesic to pain type.

Course 4: Prescribing an Opioid
New

Learn how to decide on an appropriate opioid, route of delivery, and dose, and understand how to prescribe for incident and breakthrough pain.

Course 5: Practice Prescribing an Opioid
New

Practice prescribing initial opioid doses for different pain types and characteristics. Learn to adjust dosing as needed to manage pain effectively.

Course 6: Creating a Pain Treatment Plan and Monitoring Effectiveness
New

Learn to develop a pain treatment plan with realistic goals and proper documentation, and implement universal precautions to help with the risk of opioid use disorder.

Course 8: Problems with Opioid Prescribing: Is it an Opioid Use Disorder?
New

Learn how to identify and diagnose opioid use disorder (OUD) and practice communicating with patients about OUD and pain management.

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