Course description
In this free online course you will learn what opioids are, why they are used, and why opioid use (or misuse) is considered to be a crisis. Opioids are a class of drugs that include pain relievers available legally by prescription, such as oxycodone, codeine and morphine; synthetic opioids such as fentanyl; and the illegal drug heroin.
Opioids are often used as medicines because they contain chemicals that relax the body and can relieve pain. Opioids can also make people feel very relaxed and "high" - which is why they are often used for non-medical reasons. However, this is dangerous because opioids are highly addictive. Every day, more than 130 people in the United States die from overdosing on opioid drugs. The misuse of and addiction to opioids is considered to be a national crisis.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the total "economic burden" of prescription opioid misuse is $78.5 billion per year. A recent study by the Boston Medical Center's Grayken Center for Addiction, claims that aggressive marketing by pharmaceutical companies to doctors is a direct cause of the ongoing opioid abuse epidemic in the US.
This free course will be of great interest to all learners who would like to learn more about the use of opioids as medicines, why these drugs are so highly addictive, and the human and economic costs associated with opioid addiction. So, start the course today and learn valuable information about opioid medicines and the opioid crisis.
Upcoming start dates
Training content
Opioid Products and Their Effects
Description: In this module you will learn what opioids are, the reasons for their use; the markets and products; and Big Pharma's influence in promoting them.
- Learning Outcomes
- What Are Opioids?
- Reasons for Use
- Opioid Epidemic
- Markets and Products
- Big Pharma's Influence
- Lesson Summary
Effects, Treatment and Recovery
Description: In this module you will learn about the legal issues surrounding opioid prescriptions; the physiological effects of addiction and addiction treatment methods. You learn about overdose fatality statistics and campaigns to help those who are addicted.
- Learning Outcomes
- Legal Issues
- Physiological Effects
- Addiction Treatment
- Overdose Fatality Statistics
- Projections and Campaign
- Lesson Summary
Course assessment
- Assessment: Opioid Crisis - End of Course Assessment
Certification / Credits
Having completed this course you will be able to:
- Define opioids and be able to provide examples of opioid products
- Describe the medical and non-medical uses of opioids
- Explain the human and economic costs associated opioid misuse
- Discuss the features of the global market for opioids
- Trace the influence of pharmceutical companies on the prescribing of opioids
- Identify the four evidence-based areas crucial to managing life in recovery
- Describe how opioids operate physiologically in the body
- Outline the features of an opioid treatment recovery plan
- Discuss opioid overdose fatality statistics
- Explain future opioid use projections and ways the crisis can be addressed
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Alison Free Learning
Alison is the world’s largest free online empowerment platform for education and skills training, offering thousands of CPD-accredited courses and a range of impactful career development tools. It is a for-profit social enterprise dedicated to making it possible for anyone,...