Opioid prescribing: Doctors need to do a better job, but they can ’t do it alone

I recently took a three hour online course on something I learned to do when I was a medical student. And I thought it was something I had been doing fairly well for the past 20 years. New regulations have come down requiring all practitioners to take a CME-certified course on safe and effective management of opiates for acute and chronic pain. This has clearly come about in response to revised prescribing regulations and the tragic epidemic of opioid overdoses and misuse/overuse, so it’s not a bad thing to help us learn to do this better. Long, long, (long) ago, when I was a medical student, I remember a jaded third-year resident during the last weeks of his final year, telling the students and interns on his team, “Remember, it takes 30 seconds to write for Tylenol with codeine, but 30 minutes to not write for Tylenol with codeine.” He was referring to the time-consuming discussions — and possible arguments — that could ensue if doctors tell patients they can’t have the drug. Continue reading ... Your patients are rating you online: How to respond. Manage your online reputation: A social media guide. Find out how.
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Meds Pain management Source Type: blogs