Articles: opioid.
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Buprenorphine is a key tool in the management of opioid use disorder, but there are growing concerns about abuse, diversion, and safety. These concerns are amplified for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), whose patients may receive care concurrently from multiple prescribers within and outside VA. To illustrate the extent of this challenge, we examined overlapping prescriptions for buprenorphine, opioids, and benzodiazepines among veterans dually enrolled in VA and Medicare Part D. ⋯ Many buprenorphine recipients receive overlapping prescriptions for opioids and benzodiazepines from a different health care system than the one in which their buprenorphine was filled. These findings highlight a previously undocumented safety risk for veterans dually enrolled in VA and Medicare.
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Journal of pain research · Jan 2017
Provider confidence in opioid prescribing and chronic pain management: results of the Opioid Therapy Provider Survey.
Many providers report lack of confidence in managing patients with chronic pain. Thus, the primary aim of this study was to investigate the associations of provider confidence in managing chronic pain with their practice behaviors and demographics. ⋯ In this study, the majority of providers did not feel confident managing chronic pain. However, provider confidence was associated with a protocolized and consistent practice-based approach toward managing opioids and the perceived ability to identify patients at risk for opioid misuse. Future studies should investigate whether provider confidence is associated with measurable competence in managing chronic pain and explore approaches to enhance appropriate levels of confidence in caring for patients with chronic pain.
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A Qualitative Study of Hospitalists' Perceptions of Patient Satisfaction Metrics on Pain Management.
Hospital initiatives to promote pain management may unintentionally contribute to excessive opioid prescribing. To better understand hospitalists' perceptions of satisfaction metrics on pain management, the authors conducted 25 interviews with hospitalists. Transcribed interviews were systematically analyzed to identify emergent themes. ⋯ They felt tying compensation to satisfaction scores commoditized pain. Hospitalists believed satisfaction would improve with increased time spent at the bedside. Focusing on methods to improve patient-physician communication, while maintaining efficiency in clinical practice, may promote both patient-centered pain management and satisfaction.
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Ongoing opioid analgesic use in patients suffering from chronic nonmalignant pain (CNMP) has been associated with the development of opioid misuse, abuse, addiction, and overdose. To prevent these adverse outcomes, it is important that family nurse practitioners (FNPs) implement recommended risk mitigation practices (RMPs) when treating CNMP patients with opioids. ⋯ Although RMPs are recommended for use in all CNMP patients receiving ongoing opioid therapy, FNPs do not consistently implement them. In the midst of the current opioid epidemic, FNPs must be vigilant about using appropriate opioid prescription practices.
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The term medication-assisted treatment has been widely adopted in reference to the use of opioid agonist therapy. Although it is arguably better than the older terms of replacement or substitution therapy, medication-assisted treatment implies that medications are a corollary to whatever the main part of treatment is. ⋯ It has finally been recognized that to improve care and reduce stigma, we must use medically accurate and person-first language, describing those with the disease of addiction as people with substance use disorder. However, to truly change outcomes, we must also alter the language of treatment.