Prescribing Opioids and Benzodiazepines: Strategies for Harm Reduction and Monitoring

What you'll learn

Course overview

This course reviews core U.S. prescriber education topics relevant to safe and compliant controlled-substance prescribing, evidence-based pain management, palliative care principles, and identification and response to substance use disorder. It is designed for licensed prescribers, including physicians, APRNs, and dentists, whose scope of practice includes prescribing or managing controlled substances. Learners will connect federal requirements and common state-level prescribing expectations, such as PDMP checks where required, documentation standards, prescribing-limit policies, and risk-mitigation strategies, to practical clinical decision-making. The course emphasizes evidence-based, patient-centered prescribing workflows that support safer medication use, reduce preventable harm, and maintain appropriate symptom control across acute pain, chronic pain, substance-use-risk, and serious-illness contexts. Because prescribing responsibilities vary by profession, jurisdiction, and practice setting, learners should apply the information within their own legal scope of practice, applicable board regulations, and institutional policies.