title: How to Maximize Patient Safety When Prescribing Opioids.
abstract: Opioid prescribing and deaths in the United States have increased exponentially in the past couple of decades. This increase has occurred amidst growing awareness of the lack of long-term efficacy of opioids, as well as the significant long- and short-term risks associated with these medications. The scope of the opioid epidemic has led to the development of extensive clinical screening and monitoring tools recommended for health care providers who prescribe opioids to patients for chronic nonmalignant pain. The purpose of this review is to summarize the latest guidelines and evidence that will assist in maximizing patient safety while using chronic opioid therapy as part of pain management.
authors.affiliation: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Kaiser Permanente, 1263 E. Arques Ave, Sunnyvale, CA 94085.
authors.forename: Dhiruj
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kirpalani
mesh_terms: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D059408:Pain Management; D061214:Patient Safety; D018579:Patient Selection; D010810:Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018570:Risk Assessment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid