Shaping opioid conversion education in the specialist palliative care setting: a pilot study of staff experiences.

Introduction/Background: An essential skill for working within specialist palliative care is an ability to convert opioid medications. The provision of education to support this skill is not consistent despite national guidance to seek specialist advice when converting opioids. There is no one agreed ratio of relative potencies of opioids in relation to oral morphine. Aim: To explore the lived experiences of clinicians working within specialist palliative care who are involved in converting opioid medications and the education that supports them. Methodology: Twelve semi-structured interviews were recorded and transcribed for thematic analysis. Findings: Three main themes and nine subthemes were identified: experiences of opioid conversion education, support strategies used in practice for opioid conversions and training and education. Participants felt empowered by the Opioid Conversion Workbook, however, they also felt that it needed to be more relatable to practice and further consistent clinical updates were needed to support practice. Conclusion: There is a lack of standardised practice in the approach to opioid conversions. The workbook reduced the habitual practice of using equianalgesic conversion charts but requires additional oversight and update to support complex clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]