Addressing the Opioid Epidemic: Recommended Solutions from Physicians

Submitted: 11 October 2019
Accepted: 17 April 2020
Published: 1 September 2020
Abstract Views: 2353
PDF: 746
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Authors

The purpose of this study was to assess physicians’ accounts related to the current opioid epidemic and to identify solutions that they feel would be most successful in addressing opioid misuse and overuse. A survey was administered a group of physicians obtained from a nationwide database. Nearly all physicians surveyed believed there was a current opioid crisis in the United States and that physicians should take an active role in addressing opioid use in patients. Four key themes emerged regarding solutions to the opioid crisis: i) policy change, ii) improve treatment, iii) education, and iv) alternative treatment. The diversity of responses highlighted the need for a multifaceted approach to address opioid misuse and abuse.

Dimensions

Altmetric

PlumX Metrics

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Citations

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Strategy to Combat Opioid Abuse, Misuse, and Overdose: A Framework Based on the Five Point Strategy. https://www.hhs.gov/opioids/sites/default/files/2018-09/opioid-fivepoint-strategy-20180917-508compliant.pdf. Accessed on October 23, 2018.
Jones, CM. Trends in the distribution of selected opioids by state, US, 1999-2011. Presented at the National Meeting of Safe States Alliance; June 5-7, 2013; Baltimore, MD. https://c.ymcdn.com/sites/safestates.site-ym.com/resource/resmgr/imported/Jones.pdf. Accessed on October 26, 2018.
Chen LH, Hedegaard H, Warner M. (2014). NCHS data brief: drug-poisoning deaths involving opioid analgesics: United States, 1999-2011 (No. 166). https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db166.pdf. September 2014. Accessed on October 26, 2018.
Kolodny A, Courtwright DT, Hwang CS, Kreiner P, Eadie JL, Clark TW, Alexander GC. The prescription opioid and heroin crisis: a public health approach to an epidemic of addiction. Annu Rev Public Health. 2015;36:559-574. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-031914-122957
King NB, Fraser V, Boikos C, Richardson R, Harper S. Determinants of increased opioid-related mortality in the United States and Canada, 1990-2013: A systematic review. Am J Public Health. 2014;104(8):e32-e42. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2014.301966
Tompkins DA, Hobelmann JG, Compton P. Providing chronic pain management in the “Fifth Vital Sign” era: historical and treatment perspectives on a modern-day medical dilemma. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2017;173(Suppl. 1):S11-S21. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2016.12.002
Campbell JN. The fifth vital sign revisited. Pain. 2016;157(1):3-4. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.0000000000000413
Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Training and Technical Assistance Center. Technical Assistance Guide: History of Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs. http://www.pdmpassist.org/pdf/PDMP_admin/TAG_History_PDMPs_final_20180314.pdf. Published March 2018. Accessed on October 27, 2018.
Weiner J, Bao Y, Meisel Z. Prescription drug monitoring programs: evolution and evidence. http://www.cherishresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/LDI-CHERISH-Brief_Prescription-Drug-Monitoring-Programs.pdf. Published June 2017. Accessed on October 25, 2018.
Dunn KM, Saunders KW, Rutler CM, Banta-Green CJ, Merril JO, Sullivan MD, Weisner CM, Silverberg MJ, Campbell CI, Psaty BM, Von Korff M. Opioid prescriptions for chronic pain and overdose: a cohort study. Ann Intern Med. 2010;152(2):85-92. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-152-2-201001190-00006
Schnell M, Currie J. Addressing the opioid epidemic: is there a role for physician education? Am J Health Econ. 2018;4(3):383-410. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1162/ajhe_a_00113
Nwokeji ED, Rascati KL, Brown CM, Eisenberg A. Influences of attitudes on family physicians’ willingness to prescribe long-acting opioid analgesics for patients with chronic nonmalignant pain. Clin Ther. 2007;29(11): 2589-2602. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinthera.2007.12.007
Kennedy-Hendricks A, Busch SH, McGinty EE, Bachhuber MA, Niederdeppe J, Gollust SE, Webster DW, Fiellin DA, Barry CL. Primary care physicians’ perspectives on the prescription opioid epidemic. Drug Alcohol Depen. 2016;165: 61-70. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2016.05.010
Wolfert MZ, Gilson AM, Dahl JL, Cleary JF. Opioid analgesics for pain control: Wisconsin physicians’ knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and prescribing practices. Pain Medicine. 2010;11(3): 425-434. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1526-4637.2009.00761.x
Terry G, Hayfield N, Clarke V, Braun V. Thematic analysis. In: Willig C, Rogers WS, eds. The SAGE handbook of qualitative research in psychology. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks: SAGE; 2017. p. 17-37. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4135/9781526405555.n2
Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services. Quality Payment Program: Explore Measures. https://qpp.cms.gov/mips/explore-measures/quality-measures. Accessed on November 3, 2018.
U.S. Pain Foundation. States beginning to support reimbursement for alternative care. https://uspainfoundation.org/news/states-beginning-to-support-reimbursement-for-alternative-care/. Published on August 1, 2018. Accessed on March 2, 2020.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain. https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/prescribing/guideline.html. Revised on August 29, 2017. Accessed on November 5, 2017.
Illinois Health and Hospital Association (2018). Opioid Prescribing Guidelines for Patients in the Emergency Department and Immediate Care Centers. Retrieved from https://www.team-iha.org/files/non-gated/quality/opioid-guidelines-longversion.aspx
Overton HN, Hanna MN, Bruhn WE, Hutfless S, Bicket MC, Makary MA, Opioid After Surgery Workgroup. Opioid-prescribing guidelines for common surgical procedures: an expert panel consensus. J AM Coll Surg. 2018;227(4):411-18. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2018.07.659
Bohnert ASB, Guy GP, Losby, JL. Opioid prescribing in the United States before and after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2016 opioid guideline. Ann Intern Med. 2018;169(6):367-75. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7326/M18-1243
Ventola CL. Current issues regarding complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in the United States. Part 1: the widespread use of CAM and the need for better-informed health care professionals to provide patient counseling. P T. 2010;35(8):461-68.
Turk DC, Swanson KS, Gatchel RJ. Predicting opioid misuse by chronic pain patients: a systematic review and literature synthesis. Clin J Pain. 2008;24(6):497-508. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/AJP.0b013e31816b1070
Compton P, Darakjian J, Miotto K. Screening for addition in patients with chronic pain and “problematic” substance use: evaluation of a pilot assessment tool. J Pain Symptom Manage. 1998;16(6):355-63. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0885-3924(98)00110-9

How to Cite

Cataldo, Jessica, Sandra Collins, Richard C Mckinnies, Jane Nichols, and Thomas A Shaw. 2020. “Addressing the Opioid Epidemic: Recommended Solutions from Physicians”. Qualitative Research in Medicine and Healthcare 4 (1). https://doi.org/10.4081/qrmh.2020.8619.