Making progress in curbing opioid use in hospitals

A guest column by the American Society of Anesthesiologists, exclusive to KevinMD.com. The opioid epidemic has reached a tipping point. Overdose deaths involving prescription opioids have quadrupled since 1999, as safer pain management practices must be a national priority. Everyone in health care needs to be aware of the potential dangers and become part of the solution. That means partnering with patients and families on pain management expectations; education on safe use, storage and disposal of opioids; and prevention of misuse and abuse after discharge. Clinicians throughout a patient’s full continuum of care also need to increase their awareness to ensure that prescriptions are being written only when absolutely necessary. Effective, safe pain management requires making time for patient-centric care, so when opioids are prescribed, it is done safely and responsibly. A recent study found 5 to 6 percent of patients not using opioids prior to surgery continued to fill prescriptions for opioids long after what would be considered normal surgical recovery. Another study found each refill and additional week of opioid use following surgery was associated with 44 percent increase in rate of misuse. This research highlights the need address risk and optimize pain management in post-operative care when tackling the opioid epidemic. 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: Physician Hospital-Based Medicine Surgery Source Type: blogs