Articles: opioid.
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The number of opioids prescribed and used has increased precipitously over the past 2 decades for a number of reasons and has led to increases in long-term dependency, opioid-related deaths, and diversion. Most studies examining the role of prescribing habits have investigated nonoperative providers, although there is some literature describing perioperative opioid prescription and use. There are no studies looking at the number of pills consumed after outpatient foot and ankle surgeries, nor are there guidelines for how many pills providers should prescribe. The purpose of this study was to quantify the number of narcotic pills taken by opioid-naïve patients undergoing outpatient foot and ankle surgeries with regional anesthesia. ⋯ Level II, prospective comparative study.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Feb 2018
Retraction Of PublicationDevelopment of Palliative Care (PC) in Armenia.
In the last seven years, considerable progress has been made in palliative care (PC) in Armenia, but many problems remain unresolved. Policies developed include completion of a national needs assessment, a recognized working group on PC formed, national standards approved, a concept paper on PC approved, resolutions on PC as a specialized service approved, PC became a subspecialty in medicine, PC qualifications developed, and a social assistance package approved. In addition, the Government of Armenia lately approved the National Strategy on Palliative Care for Adults and 2017-2019 Action Plan. ⋯ A "Pain Control and Palliative Care Association" began in 2003, and for two years, four pilot PC programs successfully operated with Global Fund resources. However, now only one service provider is operating. The public has begun to learn about PC, but funding remains a challenge.
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Prescribers and community pharmacists commonly perceive prescription opioid abuse to be a problem in their practice settings and communities. Both cohorts have expressed support for interventions that improve interprofessional communication and reduce prescription opioid abuse. The objective of this study was to describe prescription opioid abuse-related communication among and between prescribers and community pharmacists in South Central Appalachia. ⋯ Interprofessional and intraprofessional prescription opioid abuse communication is situational and influenced by multiple factors. Indirect communication and communication avoidance are common. Themes identified in this study can inform development of interventions that improve providers' intra- and interprofessional communication skills.