Puulu Lapaau holding opioid prescribing conference Feb. 11 | Events

Fatal overdoses involving prescription drugs have increased in recent years, particularly for non-prescription use of opioids including oxycontin, vicodin and dilaudid.

According to the Hawaii Program for Healthcare Professionals, vicodin is the most abused pharmaceutical drug in the state.

A conference on opioid prescribing will be held on Feb. 11 at the Queen's Conference Center. The cost is $125 for physicians and $60 for other healthcare providers (costs include lunch). Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. and the conference will run from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Dr. Wendy Robbins of Standford University's Pain Management Center will deliver a "State of the Union" address on opioid prescribing. The event will also feature local experts on opioid prescribing.

The conference is sponsored by Puulu Lapaau, an independent non-profit organization that promotes patient safety and care by improving the health, well-being and effectiveness of physicians and other healthcare professionals.

For more information, call 593-7444 or e-mail admin@hawaiiphp.org.