Dive Brief:
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In an attempt to stop addiction before it begins, hospitals are revising their policies and training staff to prescribe narcotic painkillers only as a last resort, STAT reported.
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In the U.S., emergency department (ED) physicians are among the top three prescribers of opioid medications.
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University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Hospital’s trauma unit was able to reduce by half the amount of opioid painkillers administered to patients without a prior history of chronic opioid use.
Dive Insight:
Drug overdoses killed more than 50,000 Americans in 2015, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition, opioid-related emergency department visits soared between 2005 and 2014. So it’s not surprising that ED doctors are on the front lines in the growing fight against prescription opioid abuse and addiction.
Since a large proportion of these prescriptions also come from EDs, that presents an opportunity for hospitals to intervene and slow down opioid misuse by reducing opioid use altogether. Hospitals that are taking the approach of using other painkillers first, and leaving narcotics as a last resort, are seeing some success.
It’s an approach that makes a lot of sense. After all, the nature of ED care is that it’s rushed, with staff focusing their attention strongly on the acute problem. Compared to other care settings, there is less opportunity for understanding a patient’s history or engaging in lengthy discussions. Patients, too, tend to focus on the moment rather than the long-term implications of their care.
Some hospitals are implementing relatively simple measures like creating a calming environment with harp music, using nerve blocks or over-the-counter medications when possible, and coaching staff on explaining to patients why they are changing their approach to pain management. These approaches may prove to be powerful tools in fighting the opioid addiction epidemic.