CAMH Education recently co-hosted the Ontario Methadone Prescribers’ Conference. We asked Galit and Rosalicia, two of the key organizers from CAMH, to tell us a little bit about it.
Who are you and what is your positions at CAMH?
Galit Kadan and Rosalicia Rondon, both Education Specialists in CAMH Education.
What event were you involved with?
The Ontario Methadone Prescribers’ Conference—an annual event that has been sponsored for several years by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO). For the last two years CAMH collaborated with the CPSO in organizing it, in particular working with the speakers to instill education best practices in their presentations and meet accreditation requirements.The selection of topics and speakers was based on evaluation from the previous year’s program and suggestions from the planning committee members, which included representatives from CAMH and the CPSO.
What is the goal of this event?
There are actually two goals of this conference. The first is to enhance methadone prescribers’ skills by providing opportunities to explore new competency areas that can improve the care given to patients in the methadone maintenance treatment program (MMT). The second goal is to network with peers, which is particularly beneficial for people working in remote communities.This year’s conference, which occurred just a week after the National Opioid Summit in Ottawa, also had a focus on the importance of opioid use and misuse and the need to step up efforts in safer prescribing.
Who is this event geared toward?
The target audience for this event is mainly methadone-prescribing physicians. The CPSO has a structured MMT program designed to provide treatment for people presenting with opioid use disorders.There is an educational component to the methadone program: Physicians who want to prescribe methadone in Ontario must complete the CAMH opioid dependence treatment (ODT) core course and two days practicum at a methadone clinic. The annual conference provides a continuing education opportunity that builds on the skills they gain in the ODT course and the clinical days.
Other practitioners who attend the event include pharmacists and case managers who provide care to people with opioid use disorders. People with lived experience have attended the conference as well.
Where can someone get more information about your event?
For more information about this and last year’s topics and to see the presentations slides please visit the CPSO website at: https://www.cpso.on.ca/CPSO-Members/Methadone-Program
More:
Find methadone-related products on the CAMH Publications Store.Look for methadone courses offered by CAMH Education.
Check out the Opioid Misuse and Addiction component of the Primary Care Addiction Toolkit on Portico.
META-PHI is a project out of Womens’ College run by Mel Kahan, one of the authors of the addiction toolkit: https://www.porticonetwork.ca/web/meta-phi
CAMH Health Promotion Resource Centre has, in addition to their main site, one focused on Opioids: https://www.porticonetwork.ca/web/opioid-resource-hub