Articles: opioid.
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The bone & joint journal · Jul 2017
ReviewAn epidemic of the use, misuse and overdose of opioids and deaths due to overdose, in the United States and Canada: is Europe next?
The United States and Canada are in the midst of an epidemic of the use, misuse and overdose of opioids, and deaths related to overdose. This is the direct result of overstatement of the benefits and understatement of the risks of using opioids by advocates and pharmaceutical companies. Massive amounts of prescription opioids entered the community and were often diverted and misused. ⋯ Evidence is mounting that the best pain relief is obtained through resilience. Opioids are often prescribed when treatments to increase resilience would be more effective. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2017;99-B:856-64.
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Public health reports · Jul 2017
Use of Emergency Department Data to Monitor and Respond to an Increase in Opioid Overdoses in New Hampshire, 2011-2015.
Opioid-related overdoses and deaths in New Hampshire have increased substantially in recent years, similar to increases observed across the United States. We queried emergency department (ED) data in New Hampshire to monitor opioid-related ED encounters as part of the public health response to this health problem. ⋯ Opioid-related ED encounters in New Hampshire increased substantially from 2011 to 2015. Data from New Hampshire's ED syndromic surveillance system provided timely situational awareness to public health partners to support the overall response to the opioid epidemic.
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The extent to which adults with mental health disorders in the United States receive opioids has not been adequately reported. ⋯ The 16% of Americans who have mental health disorders receive over half of all opioids prescribed in the United States. Improving pain management among this population is critical to reduce national dependency on opioids.
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Cancer is a major public health issue. Poor pain management has devastating consequences that seriously affect quality of life, diminish functionality and place a huge emotional burden on patients and their relatives. ⋯ The guidelines make recommendations on tailoring treatment to the specific type of pain and provide local physicians with the state-of-the art findings in the field. Management should be with pharmacological approaches (nonopioid, adjuvant and opioid analgesics, as well as oncologic therapies and interventional procedures) and nonpharmacological approaches.
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Opioid overdoses are at epidemic levels in the United States. Emergency Medical Service (EMS) providers may administer naloxone to restore patient breathing and prevent respiratory arrest. There was a need for contemporary data to examine the number of naloxone administrations in an EMS encounter. ⋯ This study shows that frequency of MNA is growing over time and is regionally dependent. MNA may be a barometer of the potency of the opioid involved in the overdose. The increase in MNA provides support for a dosage review. Better identification of opioid related events in the dispatch system could lead to a better match of services with patient needs.