In collaboration with the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Manchester Health Department hosted an Academic Detailing training to teach five local “detailers” how to conduct innovative, 1-on-1 outreach education with clinicians to promote evidence-based care. The training was conducted by the National Resource Center for Academic Detailing (NaRCAD), a resource center that supports detailer training and ongoing program support. Detailers are local residents who work in health care and public health, and who are knowledgeable about the current landscape of Manchester’s opioid epidemic.
In line with both national and local challenges related to opioids, the training focused on appropriate prescribing practices for prescription opioids, as well as increasing provider awareness of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD). Detailers will conduct visits to providers in the Manchester area, with the goal of supporting appropriate opioid prescribing, improving proper referral to MAT for people with OUD, and increasing the number of providers in the area that can prescribe MAT. Detailers will also serve as a tool for providers looking to identify local resources or develop new partnerships.
The Academic Detailing training and the visits that detailers will conduct in Manchester are part of a two-pronged project at the Manchester Health Department in collaboration with Makin’ It Happen and Network4Health, supported by NACCHO and CDC.