PO - Engage Health Professionals to Address the Opioid Crisis
Return to Engage Healthcare Professionals to Address the Opioid Crisis
Contents
Examples of a Description for this Objective
Engage Healthcare Providers to Promote New Prescribing Practices and Guidelines
Evidence
CDC Recommendations
Improving the way opioids are prescribed through clinical practice guidelines can ensure patients have access to safer, more effective chronic pain treatment while reducing the number of people who misuse, abuse, or overdose from these drugs.
CDC developed and published the CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain to provide recommendations for the prescribing of opioid pain medication for patients 18 and older in primary care settings. Recommendations focus on the use of opioids in treating chronic pain (pain lasting longer than 3 months or past the time of normal tissue healing) outside of active cancer treatment, palliative care, and end-of-life care.
APHA Recommendations
Education for prescribers on appropriate diagnosis and treatment of chronic pain. One study of physicians revealed a knowledge gap related to abuse-deterrent formulations and the amount of recreational abuse stemming from diversions of legitimate prescriptions.
Education for providers on alternative modalities such as physical therapy, acupuncture, and nonnarcotic therapy. Providers who prescribe extended-release/long-acting opioid analgesics to treat chronic pain need to consider other drugs that can interact and cause respiratory depression. A systematic review of randomized controlled trials of complementary and alternative medicines for cancer pain indicated some success with hypnosis, imagery, acupuncture, and healing touch.
To learn more:
CDC - [1]
APHA - [2]
Examples of a From-To Gap
| Current State | Desired State |
