Pain as the Fifth Vital Sign

Devastating consequences of the opioid epidemic, including prescription misuse, opioid overdose, and the rising incidence of newborns experiencing withdrawal symptoms, continue to plague communities in the US. In 2017, the Department of Health and Human Services declared a Public Health Emergency to address the national opioid crisis and unveiled a 5-point Opioid Strategy to combat the epidemic.1 Despite these efforts, available data suggest enough opioid prescriptions are written each year for half of all Americans to receive one.
Source: Journal of the American College of Surgeons - Category: Surgery Authors: Tags: Invited Commentary Source Type: research