Purdue Pharma L.P. Launches New Pain Management Resource for Healthcare Professionals

Medical Education Resource Catalog Online Offers Free Tools to Support Proper Pain Care and Help Deter Medication Misuse

News provided by

Purdue Pharma L.P.

Mar 31, 2010, 09:24 ET

STAMFORD, Conn., March 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Purdue Pharma L.P. announced today the introduction of the Medical Education Resource Catalog Online (MERCO), a web-based resource that provides licensed healthcare professionals in the U.S. with access to free educational materials to help improve the care of people with pain.

The resources address important aspects of pain management including patient and peer communication, medication therapy management, risk management, and safe storage and disposal of medication. The Focused and Customized Education Topic Selections in Pain Management (FACETS), is a CD ROM that contains various learning modules and resources that are developed for clinical educators and healthcare professionals interested in pain management education. Some topics within FACETS include: Pain Care in the Older Adult and Medication Errors and Strategies to Improve Safety and Outcomes with Analgesics.

Another resource within MERCO entitled ASAP (Addressing Substance Abuse Prevention) is an updated resource that provides slide modules intended to help healthcare professionals understand the scope of substance and medication abuse, which includes recognizing signs and symptoms of abuse, and steps on referring patients.

Some of the tools contained in MERCO have been developed in collaboration with leading clinical experts and are based on the most recent scientific data available in the medical literature. The web interface features a convenient, user-friendly format that organizes materials based on topic, discipline, and media type.

As part of the company's mission to help improve patient care and quality of life through education, Purdue Pharma's Medical Education Department has been providing healthcare professionals with free resources for more than a decade. The company also provides independent educational grants to healthcare professional associations, healthcare institutions and organizations for national, state and local education programs.

"The launch of MERCO is one of our newest initiatives and reflects Purdue's long-standing commitment to ensure that healthcare professionals have access to resources that help them keep pace with the complex and evolving field of pain management," said Dr. Lisa Miller, Pharm D., executive director of healthcare education and liaison programs at Purdue. "Purdue is working to help healthcare professionals improve the lives of patients with pain by providing safe and effective therapies and offering educational programs and tools that support their proper use."

Purdue Pharma L.P. is a privately-held pharmaceutical company known for pioneering research on persistent pain. Headquartered in Stamford, CT, Purdue is engaged in the research, development, production, and distribution of both prescription and over-the-counter medicines and hospital products. Additional information about Purdue Pharma can be found at www.purduepharma.com.

For more information, visit http://www.purduepharmamededresources.com or email [email protected].

SOURCE Purdue Pharma L.P.