Routine Opioid Outcome Monitoring (ROOM) tools
Investigators: Prof Suzanne Nielsen, Pene Wood, A/Prof Raimondo Bruno, A/Prof Sarah Larney and Prof Alison Ritter
In Australia over the past decade, increasing harms have been attributed to prescription opioid use. This program of research led by Prof Suzanne Nielsen aimed to develop, validate and implement the Routine Opioid Outcome Monitoring (ROOM) tool primary care settings. This included the development of a brief 4-item screening tool for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), called the OWLS - a world first tool that was developed and validated to identify OUD in people who are prescribed opioids for chronic pain.
The ROOM tool measures outcomes with opioids using a validated framework and includes domains such as pain, mood, opioid use disorder (using the OWLS), alcohol use and constipation. The initial stage of the project developed and validated these tools for computer-based self-administered use.
To ensure that these tools were acceptable to patients, the ROOM, including the OWLS was used with patients in 23 pharmacies in New South Wales and Victoria. The screening processes were embedded into pharmacy dispensing software. Pharmacists also completed baseline and follow up surveys to measure changes in knowledge and confidence, following training and implementation.
Findings revealed significant improvements in confidence identifying and responding to unmanaged pain, depression and opioid dependence, from baseline to follow up. Pharmacists and patients also indicated the ROOM tool was acceptable in relation to ease of use, relevance and usefulness of the information provided.
Project funded by the following sources: Central and Eastern Sydney Primary Health Network (CESPHN), Western Sydney Primary Health Network (WSPHN), NHMRC Translating Research Into Practice Fellowship and a Mindgardens Seed Funding Grant.
ROOM tool for health care professionals
OWLS tool for health care professionals
*These tools are best downloaded using a chrome browser.
Is there ROOM for improvement? Development and Outcomes of the Routine Opioid Outcome Monitoring study
Professor Suzanne Nielsen presented at the 2020 NDARC Webinar Series on Thursday, 24 September 2020.
Room to improve? New tools: Routine Opioid Outcome Monitoring
Professor Suzanne Nielsen presented at the Insight Centre for alcohol and other drug training and workforce development webinar on Wednesday, 31 October 2020.
Featured publications:
Nielsen S, Kowalski, Wood P, Larney S, Bruno R, Shanahan M, Lenton S, Dietze P, Green T, Murnion B & Ritter A. (2019) Routine Opioid Outcome Monitoring in Community Pharmacy: Pilot implementation study protocol. Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy. 15(8):1047-1055. 10.1016/j.sapharm.2018.10.024
Nielsen, S, Picco, L, Campbell, G, Lintzeris, N, Larance, B, Farrell, M, Degenhardt, L & Bruno, R. (2020). Development of a Brief Patient-Administered Screening Tool for Prescription Opioid Dependence for Primary Care Settings. Pain Medicine, 21 (2), e79-e88. 10.1093/pm/pnz213
Nielsen S, Picco, L, Kowalski M, Sanfilippo P, Wood P, Larney S, Bruno R, Ritter A. (2020) Routine opioid outcome monitoring in community pharmacy: Outcomes from an open-label single-arm implementation-effectiveness pilot study. Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy. 10.1016/j.sapharm.2020.02.009
Nielsen, S., Sanfilippo, P., Picco, L., Bruno R., Kowalski M., Wood P., Larney S. (2020) What predicts pharmacists’ engagement with opioid-outcome screening? Secondary analysis from an implementation study in community pharmacy. Int J Clin Pharm (2020). 10.1007/s11096-020-01074-5
Picco L, Middleton M, Bruno R, Kowalski M, Nielsen S. (2020) Validation of the OWLS, a Screening Tool for Measuring Prescription Opioid Use Disorder in Primary Care, Pain Medicine, pnaa275. 10.1093/pm/pnaa275
Picco L, Middleton M, Bruno R, Kowalski M, Nielsen S. (2020) Validation of the Routine Opioid Outcome Monitoring (ROOM) screening tool. Pain Medicine. 10.1093/pm/pnaa297