2E The Opioid Epidemic: Improving Opioid Safety for Patients through Prescriber, Patient & Family Education

The United States is in the midst of a major public health epidemic. Within the past month, 4 million people have reported the non-medical use of prescription opioids and an estimated 400,000 persons have used heroin. When looking at the pediatric population, the non-medical use of prescribed opioids by adolescents has surpassed all illicit drug use except for marijuana, and this peaks at age 16. Adolescents with a history of non-prescription opioid misuse are at high risk for transitioning to heroin and needle use infectious diseases.
Source: Pain Management Nursing - Category: Nursing Authors: Source Type: research