title: The challenge of international consensus:  defining an opioid essential prescription package.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe a new strategy that aimed to facilitate opioid prescription for better pain management.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The International Association of Hospice and Palliative Care recently develop a single prescription package (drugs and dosing) with one opioid, one laxative, and one antiemetic for the initiation of opioid treatment in cancer pain and other life-threatening conditions, with the intention to facilitate opioid use, improve patient compliance, and reduce adverse effects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The opioid essential prescription package was an international project designed to ensure that opioids are better tolerated by reducing the adverse effects of opioids, which could lead to more sustained improvements in pain management.
authors.affiliation: Palliative Care Unit, Hospital Tornu, Programa Argentino de Medicina Paliativa-Fundacion FEMEBA, Buenos Aires, Argentina. evignaroli@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Ernesto
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vignaroli
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wenk
mesh_terms: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000932:Antiemetics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D032921:Consensus; D003248:Constipation / Q000188:drug therapy; D003697:Delphi Technique; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006801:Humans; D038622:Internationality; D054368:Laxatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009325:Nausea / Q000188:drug therapy; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D059408:Pain Management / Q000379:methods; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods; D014839:Vomiting / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D000932:Antiemetics; D054368:Laxatives