Substance abuse : official publication of the Association for Medical Education and Research in Substance Abuse
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Opioid abuse has become an epidemic in the United States. On August 25, 2016, the former Surgeon General of the United States sent an open letter to care providers asking for their help with combatting this growing health crisis. Social media forums like Twitter allow for open discussions among the public and up-to-date exchanges of information about timely topics like opioids. Therefore, the goal of the current study is to identify the public's reactions to the opioid epidemic by identifying the most popular topics tweeted by users. ⋯ Twitter allows users to find current information, voice their concerns, and share calls for action in response to the opioid epidemic. Monitoring the conversations about opioids that are taking place on social media forums like Twitter can help public health officials and care providers better understand how the public is responding to this health crisis.
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Historical Article
Medications for opioid use disorder in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system: Historical perspective, lessons learned, and next steps.
The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the largest health care system in the US, has been confronted with the health care consequences of opioid disorder (OUD). Increasing access to quality OUD treatment, including pharmacotherapy, is a priority for the VA. ⋯ We find that there has been a slow but steady increase in the use of medications for OUD and, despite system-wide mandates and directives, uneven uptake across VA facilities and within patient sub-populations, including some of those most vulnerable. We conclude with recommendations intended to support the greater use of medication for OUD in the future, both within VA as well as other large health care systems.
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Comparative Study
Effect of a high dosage opioid prior authorization policy on prescription opioid use, misuse, and overdose outcomes.
High dosage opioid use is a risk factor for opioid-related overdose commonly cited in guidelines, recommendations, and policies. In 2012, the Oregon Medicaid program developed a prior authorization policy for opioid prescriptions above 120 mg per day morphine equivalent dose (MED). This study aimed to evaluate the effects of that policy on utilization, prescribing patterns, and health outcomes. ⋯ Oregon's prior authorization policy was effective at reducing high dosage opioid prescriptions. While multiple pharmacy use also declined, we found no impact on opioid overdose were observed.
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Despite escalating opioid overdose death rates, addiction medicine is underrepresented in residency curricula. Providing naloxone to at-risk patients, relatives, and first responders reduces overdose deaths, but rates of naloxone prescribing remain low. The goal of this study is to examine the impact of a brief curricular intervention for internal medicine residents on naloxone prescribing rates, knowledge, and attitudes. ⋯ A brief curricular intervention improved resident knowledge and attitudes regarding intranasal naloxone for opioid overdose reversal and significantly increased prescribing rates.
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Co-prescribing opioids and benzodiazepines increases overdose risk. A paucity of literature exists evaluating strategies to improve safety of co-prescribing. This study evaluated an electronic intervention to improve safety for patients co-prescribed chronic opioids for pain and benzodiazepines at 3 and 6 months. ⋯ Electronic interventions may provide an effective strategy to improve safety for patients co-prescribed chronic opioids for pain and benzodiazepines.