NR565 Week 2: State Specific Guidelines for Prescribing Controlled Substances & Medical Devices 1
Student Name: Pattie Shuford
State of Planned NP Clinical Practice: Florida
Complete the following table with information specific to the state where you plan to practice as a nurse practitioner.
Please refer to the rubric in the course to identify how much each prompt is worth. Most are worth 5 or 6 points with one
question being worth 10 points. The 10-point question is noted in the table.
Sources should be obtained directly from the state's regulatory organization(s) and must be cited appropriately.
It is recommended that you keep a copy of this paper to provide to potential employers or your Board of Nursing to
demonstrate your knowledge of your state laws.
Guidelines and recommendations for your state:
In response to the opioid epidemic, individual states have developed and adopted voluntary guidelines or recommendations for the
treatment of acute and chronic non-cancer pain. Based on research done on the state where you will practice clinically, include the
following:
Provide the name of your Organization, group, or task force name Where you found this information (weblink):
practicing state's The Florida Department of Health https://www.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/
organization, group or task non-opioid-pain-managment/index.html
force that created
guidelines or
recommendations for pain
management therapies
and education.
Briefly describe an Overview of your state’s guideline Locate federal guidelines and provide a link to federal
overview of its development with web address. guidelines you could use in practice as an APRN.
development and include The Boards of Medicine and Osteopathic In conjunction with ongoing cancer treatment,
a web address where this Medicine in Florida have implemented a policy palliative care, and end-of-life support, the CDC's
information can be found. regarding the prescription of opioids, setting guidelines on opioid prescribing for chronic pain offer
If your state does not have forth the state's protocol for care. This policy insights tailored for primary care providers who
guidelines, discuss a outlines several key guidelines, such as prescribe opioids outside of those contexts. These
federal guideline. (Note: conducting a thorough patient assessment guidelines provide counsel on several fronts: 1)
you may need to contact before prescribing opioids, actively seeking determining the initiation or continuation of opioid
your state's board of feedback from patients regarding their therapy for chronic pain; 2) making informed decisions
nursing, pharmacy, or experience with opioid medication, establishing regarding opioid selection, dosage, and duration; and
1 09/01/2026
, @2027// Q&A | 100% Verified Start your exams prepared! solutions.
NR565 Week 2: State Specific Guidelines for Prescribing Controlled Substances & Medical Devices 2
medicine if you cannot formal agreements to define patient 3) assessing risks and managing adverse effects
locate it on your own). responsibilities in cases of high risk for associated with opioid use. Leveraging the Grading of
medication abuse or past substance abuse Recommendations Assessment, Development, and
history, regularly reviewing opioid treatment Evaluation (GRADE) framework, the Centers for
progress, and ensuring comprehensive Disease Control and Prevention meticulously crafted
maintenance of the patient's medical records these guidelines. Drawing from a systematic review of
throughout their treatment journey. scientific evidence, considerations include weighing
the balance between benefits and harms, individual
https://drugscan.com/learn/florida-opioid-law values and preferences, and resource allocation.
Feedback from experts, stakeholders, the public, peer
reviewers, and a federally appointed advisory
committee informed the CDC's approach. Ensuring
effective pain management for patients necessitates a
thoughtful evaluation of available therapeutic options,
considering both their advantages and drawbacks. By
facilitating open discussions between clinicians and
patients, these recommendations aim to enhance the
safety and efficacy of pain management strategies
and mitigate the potential risks associated with
prolonged opioid therapy, including opioid use
disorder, overdose, and mortality.
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volume/65/rr/rr6501e1.html
Some states have multiple Provide a brief overview of the group's Provide a brief overview of the guidelines
organizations or initiatives recommendations or initiatives (provide published by the American Pain Society OR
(ex: Ohio) in place to link to where you found information). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
combat the opioid The Florida Medical Association (FMA) and the (provide link to where you found information).
epidemic and advocate for Florida Academy of Pain Medicine (FAPM) he Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
safer opioid prescribing. advocate for a comprehensive approach to published guidelines for prescribing opioids for chronic
Explore whether your state pain management that emphasizes multimodal pain in 2016, which provide recommendations for
has other resources, therapies and non-opioid alternatives healthcare providers to improve patient safety and
groups or organizations whenever possible. Their recommendations reduce the risks associated with opioid therapy. The
where prescribers can encourage healthcare providers to assess guidelines emphasize the importance of non-
reference best practices each patient's unique needs and pharmacologic and non-opioid treatments as the
for pain management circumstances to develop individualized preferred first-line options for chronic pain
2 09/01/2026