Articles: opioid.
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J. Med. Internet Res. · Jan 2017
Clinical TrialDigital Pills to Measure Opioid Ingestion Patterns in Emergency Department Patients With Acute Fracture Pain: A Pilot Study.
Nonadherence to prescribed regimens for opioid analgesic agents contributes to increasing opioid abuse and overdose death. Opioids are frequently prescribed on an as-needed basis, placing the responsibility to determine opioid dose and frequency with the patient. There is wide variability in physician prescribing patterns because of the lack of data describing how patients actually use as-needed opioid analgesics. Digital pill systems have a radiofrequency emitter that directly measures medication ingestion events, and they provide an opportunity to discover the dose, timing, and duration of opioid therapy. ⋯ The digital pill is a feasible method to measure real-time opioid ingestion patterns in individuals with acute pain and to develop real-time interventions if opioid abuse is detected. Deploying digital pills is possible through the ED with a short instructional course. Patients who used the digital pill accepted the technology.
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The challenge of responding to prescription opioid overuse within the United States has fallen disproportionately on the primary care clinic setting. Here we describe a framework comprised of 6 Building Blocks to guide efforts within this setting to address the use of opioids for chronic pain. ⋯ In response to prescription opioid overuse and the resulting epidemic of overdose and addiction, primary care clinics are making improvements driven by a common set of best practices that address complex challenges of managing COT patients in primary care settings.
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Cancer Ther Oncol Int J · Jan 2017
Opioid Prescription Drug Use and Expenditures in US Outpatient Physician Offices: Evidence from Two Nationally Representative Surveys.
Opioids are widely prescribed for their analgesic properties. Chronic opioid use is a persistent problem in the US. Nevertheless, little is known about its prescribing and utilization patterns and overall expenditures. ⋯ Drs. Qureshi, Haider, Ball, Horner and Bennett's efforts are partially supported by the University of South Carolina's ASPIRE I. Dr. Wooten's effort is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (K01DA037412).
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Given that opioid misuse/abuse and opioid overdose have reached epidemic proportions in the United States, expansion of naloxone access programs are desperately needed. The objective of this study was to describe emerging trends in naloxone rescue kit (NRK) prescription patterns by pharmacists in New Mexico as an example of a unique health care delivery system. ⋯ These results indicate that patients at risk of opioid overdose might feel comfortable soliciting NRKs from a pharmacist. Participation of pharmacists in rural areas in the naloxone prescriptive authority highlight the opportunity for this novel health care delivery model in underserved areas; however, the program is clearly underutilized in these areas. Such a model can provide expanded patient access in community practices, whereas systematic efforts for uptake of the program by policy makers, communities, and pharmacists continue to be needed nationwide.