Lunchtime Listen: The Opioid Epidemic

keywords:  medication review, the opioid crisis, pain management, non-pharm options, the Surgeon General's Call to Action about the Opioid Epidemic, public health crisis, lunchtime listen audiovisual

updated 3.10.2020

Today's Lunchtime Listen recommendation, "Opioid Overdose Epidemic:  A Call to Action" is an audiovisual presentation, supported by the federal Joint Pain Education Project (JPEP), has several statistics about the opioid prescription increase, what the opioid epidemic is, side effects of opioids (pain sensitization, poor sleep), etc.  It mentions the 2016 U.S. Surgeon General's Call to Action about the Opioid Epidemic.    length of video:  about 26 minutes.

While the video is a module intended for prescribing practitioners, it has good information for non-prescribing practitioners to understand when talking with your prescribing colleagues about what you offer as non-pharm pain management therapy options for patients.

"1/4 of patients on long-term use opioids for chronic pain struggle with opioid use disorder"

"In 2014, accidental deaths from opioids exceeded accidental deaths from motor vehicle accidents"

After minute 25, the summary:

"#1.  DO NOT PRESCRIBE OPIOIDS as a FIRST LINE TREATMENT" 

Instead, it is recommended primary care providers consider which non-opioid and non-pharm therapies are appropriate.  

Here's a quick guide about what non-pharm therapies are commonly used in pain programs and how to refer created by several integrative medicine national organizations:  Moving Beyond Medications


Online Modules for Acupuncturists who Treat Pain

• How to Use a Validated Pain Scale in Your Chart Note
• Calculating Morphine Equivalent Dose (MEQ) for Non-prescribers and the Medication Review Standard

Blog articles related to opioid medications and non-pharm options

• Calculating Morphine Equivalent Dose
• Medication Review and ROS:  Opioid Medication Side Effects
• The Autumn 2017 White Paper:  Acupuncture's Role in Solving the Opioid Epidemic
• Metrics and Pain Management:  Using the DVPRS as your Pain Scale

More Lunchtime Learning Recommendations

• Launching an Integrative Health Program in a Medical Center 
• Integrative Medicine Leadership:  Lori Knutson's "Leading Simply in a Complex System" 
• The Complexity of Acupuncture Research in just 10 minutes
• Samueli Institute's On Human Flourishing series
• Research Review:  Key Studies to Understand when Discussing Pain Management with a Physician

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