Purpose: Implementation of the SAFE PAIN algorithm for reducing opioid use for chronic pain in older adults is described.
Summary: A multidisciplinary team at Sheppard Pratt Health System, the largest private provider of psychiatric care in Maryland, used lean methodology to identify the root causes for noncompliance to evidence-based practices for patients in the geropsychiatry unit treated for osteoarthritis or chronic back pain. The team collaborated to develop a facility-specific treatment algorithm, called SAFE PAIN (Sheppard Pratt Health System Algorithm For Elderly Patient Centered Analgesia Interdisciplinary Nagara), was based on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's evidence-based recommendations that included nonpharmacologic interventions as a first-line therapy for patients with osteoarthritis or chronic back pain.