Frequently Asked Questions

OpioidRisk.com provides skills training to minimize the risk of prescription opioid misuse.

This website is for clinicians who treat pain and who want more training, information and communication about topics in the interface of pain and addiction medicine, including primary care physicians, resident physicians, nurse practitioners, and others who treat pain.

The mission of this site is to create an online environment that enables pain management providers to better manage co-morbid substance misuse and addiction or risk for addiction in patients suffering from pain.

Primary Care Physicians who need to learn skills to minimize the risk of prescription opioid misuse.

Clinical Tools will not share your personal information with any third parties. However, if taking one of our modules is part of your required coursework, your measurement data (e.g.pre/post tests) will be reported to your professor upon their request.

This website is funded by the National Institute of Drugs and Addiction (NIDA contract No. HHSN271200800012C), awarded to Clinical Tools, Inc as "Web Based Training (in Addiction Medicine) for Pain Management".

In the About Us section, there is a brief overview of CTI, as well as a link to our corporate site.

The use of medications, originally prescribed to treat pain, to help cope with stress or manage mood. It does not necessarily mean the patient is addicted.

Physiological dependence is a condition in which a patient's body adapts to the use of a drug. Physiological symptoms of withdrawal may be expected if the medication is stopped suddenly. Tolerance may also be a part of physical dependence. Tolerance occurs when a person's body becomes adapted to a drug. The same dose does not continue to provide the same amount of pain relief, and may need to be increased to provide the same effect. Physiological dependence sometimes occurs with chronic opioid therapy for pain.

is a maladaptive condition that may or may not include physical dependence. It is characterized by signs of psychological dependence that interfere with a person's quality of life and functioning.

Substance Dependence is what the diagnosis manual (DSM) of the American Psychiatric Association calls addiction. It is a psychological disease that often includes signs of physiological dependence. It is associated with compulsive and often harmful continued use of a drug despite adverse consequences. People who have physiological dependence do not necessarily have Substance Dependence, that is, are not necessarily addicted.

A treatment agreement is an understanding between physician and patient of the upcoming treatment plan that aims to promote therapeutic adherence and enhance the physician-patient relationship; previously referred to as a patient “contract.” Recent guidelines from the APS/AAPM refer to these agreements as "Opioid Management Plans." It is not mandated by law but many specialists recommend a written agreement be used with all chronic pain patients on controlled substances. Physicians may choose to combine this written agreement with the informed consent document.

Informed consent is mandated by laws at both the federal and state level. Its components include goals/purpose of treatment, potential benefits and risks, special issues, and alternative treatment(s).

The guides provide key information related to treating pain with opioids and avoiding substance use problems. They are step by step guides to common clinical skills, assessment tools, evidence, and regulations.

The Resources Tab gives you the ability to navigate tagged resources relevant to pain and addiction, as well as to search through related categories.

The courses are available to registered users once they have created an account, logged in, and completed the short survey.

Using the site resources and Key Info Guides are free. Users must pay in order to view and receive credit for completing Course Content.

If you start the program and are not satisfied for any reason, we will refund your training fee. The request for a refund must be emailed to billing@clinicaltools.com and be within 60 days of the original payment. Refunds will be in the original form of payment. If you complete the program, we will not issue a refund.

Credits vary by course. Users will receive a set amount of CME credit hours upon completing the program.

Users may view both their course transcript and program status at any time in the "My Account" section.

To access your individual course certificates, click the Account link at the top right and go to the Course Transcript tab. From there you can access your certificates or print them if necessary.

Clinical Tools includes multiple measures in our modules to assess changes in knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, and intended behavior. We track this data for all users to assess the impact of our online curriculum.

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