The Journal of family practice
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MDIs with spacers are as effective as nebulizers for delivering beta-agonists and less likely to cause adverse effects.
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Nearly one-half of all patients seen in primary care experience persistent pain, and major depressive disorder is a common comorbidity with chronic pain.
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Integrating biofeedback into a patient's treatment plan can ease pain and improve quality of life.
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Primary care physicians are at the center of a national prescription opioid epidemic, with little training or knowledge about the management of patients on opioids for chronic noncancer pain (CNCP). We developed an electronic medical record (EMR)-based protocol and educational intervention to standardize documentation and management of patients prescribed opioids by primary care providers. Our objective was to evaluate provider adherence to this protocol, attitudes toward the management of these patients, and knowledge of opioid prescribing. ⋯ We developed a quality improvement intervention that addressed the need for better regulation of opioid prescribing, resulted in increased adherence to best-practice guidelines, and improved provider knowledge and attitudes.