Dive Brief:
- The state of Maryland is facing a rising epidemic of opioid misuse that caused nearly 900 deaths in 2014--a 22% increase from the year before and a 76% increase since 2010, reports The Baltimore Sun.
- To help reduce addiction to prescription opioids, the Maryland Hospital Association, in collaboration with the Maryland Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians, prepared opioid prescribing guidelines for Maryland emergency departments.
- The guidelines are designed to leave physicians with flexibility for determining when opioids are medically necessary while promotong practices that help reduce patients' risk of opioid addiction.
Dive Insight:
Standardizing protocols for opioid prescribing in EDs is a strong start but only one part of a complex social issue, as the Sun notes. The Maryland Hospital Association and Maryland Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians plan to meet in six months to evaluate the effectiveness of the guidelines.
Key recommendations of the guidelines include:
• Screen patients to identify those with conditions that can lead to opioid misuse.
• Use resources including Maryland's electronic health information exchange and prescription drug monitoring program to help track potential opioid misuse.
• Standardize prescription practices to prevent unnecessary opioid prescriptions and reduce the amount prescribed.