TY - JOUR
T1 - The opioid crisis
T2 - Origins, trends, policies, and the roles of pharmacists
AU - Chisholm-Burns, Marie A.
AU - Spivey, Christina A.
AU - Sherwin, Erin
AU - Wheeler, James
AU - Hohmeier, Kenneth
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© American Society of Health-System Pharmacists 2019.
PY - 2019/3/19
Y1 - 2019/3/19
N2 - Purpose. The purpose of this review is to (1) provide information concerning the opioid crisis including origins, trends, and some important related laws/policies; and (2) summarize the current involvement and impact of pharmacists in helping to address the crisis, as well as examine practices in other healthcare disciplines from which pharmacists might derive guidance and strategies. Summary. Contributors to the opioid crisis included campaigns to treat pain as a fifth vital sign and to use opioids in treatment of non-cancer-related pain, as well as aggressive marketing of opioid analgesics by pharmaceutical companies. To address the crisis, numerous strategies have been implemented at the policy/legislative, health-system, and patient levels, such as prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs), increased regulation of pain clinics, and expanded use of naloxone. Pharmacists have a critical role to play in interventions to address opioid misuse and reduce harm resulting from misuse. Such interventions include patient screening and risk stratification, patient and community education and outreach concerning appropriate pain management, medication reviews/medication therapy management, education on safe storage and disposal, distribution of naloxone/opioid rescue kits and training on their proper use, and referral of patients to addiction treatment, among other strategies. Conclusion. Pharmacists have multiple, complex roles in addressing the opioid crisis. Outcomes of several studies provide substantial evidence that pharmacists can make an impact through appropriate pain management, use of PDMPs, opioid overdose prevention training, and medication reviews and counseling, among other interventions.
AB - Purpose. The purpose of this review is to (1) provide information concerning the opioid crisis including origins, trends, and some important related laws/policies; and (2) summarize the current involvement and impact of pharmacists in helping to address the crisis, as well as examine practices in other healthcare disciplines from which pharmacists might derive guidance and strategies. Summary. Contributors to the opioid crisis included campaigns to treat pain as a fifth vital sign and to use opioids in treatment of non-cancer-related pain, as well as aggressive marketing of opioid analgesics by pharmaceutical companies. To address the crisis, numerous strategies have been implemented at the policy/legislative, health-system, and patient levels, such as prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs), increased regulation of pain clinics, and expanded use of naloxone. Pharmacists have a critical role to play in interventions to address opioid misuse and reduce harm resulting from misuse. Such interventions include patient screening and risk stratification, patient and community education and outreach concerning appropriate pain management, medication reviews/medication therapy management, education on safe storage and disposal, distribution of naloxone/opioid rescue kits and training on their proper use, and referral of patients to addiction treatment, among other strategies. Conclusion. Pharmacists have multiple, complex roles in addressing the opioid crisis. Outcomes of several studies provide substantial evidence that pharmacists can make an impact through appropriate pain management, use of PDMPs, opioid overdose prevention training, and medication reviews and counseling, among other interventions.
KW - opioids
KW - pain management
KW - patient education
KW - pharmacists
KW - policy
KW - prescribers
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U2 - 10.1093/ajhp/zxy089
DO - 10.1093/ajhp/zxy089
M3 - Article
C2 - 31361827
AN - SCOPUS:85064391977
SN - 1079-2082
VL - 76
SP - 424
EP - 435
JO - American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy
JF - American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy
IS - 7
ER -