Course Goals

APA’s new online course, “Buprenorphine for Office-Based Treatment of Opioid-Dependent Patients,” will prepare psychiatrists to treat patients addicted to opiates with buprenorphine in an office-based setting. By the end of the course, psychiatrists should

• have a greater understanding of office-based treatment with buprenorphine,

• be able to identify the clinically relevant pharmacological characteristics of buprenorphine,

• be able to determine whether the patient is an appropriate candidate for office-based treatment with buprenorphine,

• understand the treatment of patients with medical comorbidity,

• be able to develop a plan for treatment with buprenorphine,

• have a greater understanding of current laws protecting patients’ confidentiality, and

• be able to incorporate the principles taught in the buprenorphine course into clinical practice.