The course, held in New Jersey from 1981 to 2003, educated 703 healthcare providers who were mainly sanctioned by their state licensing boards for injudicious prescribing of controlled substances.
This course is no longer just for mandated remedial education. It has now become a primer for all practitioners in the appropriate use of controlled substances. The urgent focus is now on:
1. Recognition of pain, anxiety, stimulation and addiction;
2. Appropriate history and physical examination;
3. Diagnosis;
4. Choices of treatment;
5. The use of non-opioid, opiate/opioid, anxiolytic and stimulant drugs;
6. The basic knowledge of pharmacology in a clinical setting;
7. Drug abuse with or without the combination of alcohol or other depressants;
8. Medical errors;
9. New laws governing the prescribing of controlled drugs;
10. Medical record keeping; and
11. Drug testing in the office setting.
