Clinical journal of oncology nursing
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Opioids are commonly prescribed to manage cancer pain. Similar to the general population, patients with cancer are not excluded from the risk for opioid misuse and dependence. This situation can contribute to clinician reluctance to prescribe and manage pain using opioids. ⋯ The project established a hospitalwide opioid stewardship program. Through the use of a multidisciplinary, universal precautions approach to assessing misuse in all patients with cancer who are prescribed opioids, healthcare teams can potentially reduce risks associated with misuse while safely managing cancer pain.