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In a study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY annual meeting, the concerns of postsurgery opioid use, and the groups most at risk, were highlighted. For patients using opioids for the first time for pain management after surgery, certain groups—people who smoke, those who suffer from depression, and...
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At the Society of Thoracic Surgeons’ 18th Annual Perioperative and Critical Care Conference, results from an examination of opioid prescribing for over 2,000 lung resection patients were presented. These patients were enrolled in an enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol, which lead to...
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One patient, multiple doctors, multiple medications. A study published in JAMA Network Open looked at benzodiazepines and opioid prescribing and, even when adjusted for patient characteristics and prescription dosing, a 20% higher risk of overdosing was seen. Data from over 525,000 patients was...
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JAMA reports a noted increase in opioid use disorder treatments in those enrolled in Medicaid. The study looked at over a million enrollees from 11 states: medication treatment prevalence in 2014 was 47.8% and in 2018, 57.1%. Of note, use of OUD medication was higher in pregnant women and white...
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“In patients prescribed stable, long-term, high-dose opioid therapy, is dose tapering associated with an increased risk of overdose or mental health crisis?” That is the question discussed in an article published in JAMA. Over 100,000 patients who had their opioid dose tapered were included in this...
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How much of a problem is doctor shopping? “Doctor shopping” is defined as ≥1 day of getting overlapping prescriptions for opioids from ≥2 prescribers and going to ≥3 pharmacies to have them filled. A recent article published in the Journal of Pain Research looked at patients with chronic noncancer...
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Postoperative pain in adults. Which is better for pain relief after outpatient surgery, NSAIDs or codeine? An article published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, or CMAJ, detailed the results of a systematic review and meta-analysis, with patient pain scores as the primary outcome and...
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The opioid crisis in America has resulted in many changes and challenges for clinicians who undertake the difficult field of pain management. Specifically, guidelines have been proposed and effectively adopted by regulators and insurers as quasi standards of care. This has created very real barriers...
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The Non-Opioids Prevent Addiction in the Nation (NOPAIN) Act was recently introduced into the House of Representatives, after working its way through the senate. Its goal? To make it easier to access non-opioid pain management treatments. The Act hopes to “address payment disincentives for...
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Challenges. That’s what prescribers are facing when prescribing buprenorphine. They face barriers, hurdles, difficulties helping their patients overcome opioid use disorder. Even though things are changing—the federal government has removed some barriers, such as requiring special training for...