title: Pain management in occupational health: a guide for non-narcotic pain relief.
abstract: Narcotic pain management is currently a topic of concern in the United States; the latest concerns are both legal and ethical. Narcotics are frequently prescribed medications that, when improperly used or supervised, can cause death. Legal concerns include prescribing narcotics without performing detailed health-related evaluations, not recognizing those seeking drugs for personal recreational use, and clients diverting drugs to others for financial gain. Injured workers need to have pain controlled and be mentally safe to perform their job duties. This article identifies types of pain, comorbidities, and alternative methods of pain management beyond narcotic therapy, as well as discusses guidelines used to initiate narcotic therapy when needed.
authors.affiliation: Universit of South Florida Sunshire Education and Research Center, Tampa, FL, USA. aferriol@health.usf.edu
authors.forename: Angela E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Ferriolo
authors.forename: Helen Acree
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Conlon
mesh_terms: D018712:Analgesics, Non-Narcotic / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing; D006801:Humans; D009785:Occupational Health Nursing / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*; D059408:Pain Management / Q000379:methods*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic
chemical_list: D018712:Analgesics, Non-Narcotic