TY - JOUR
T1 - Early palliative care and the opioid crisis
T2 - Ten pragmatic steps towards a more rational use of opioids
AU - Gaertner, Jan
AU - Boehlke, Christopher
AU - Simone, Charles B.
AU - Hui, David
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© Annals of Palliative Medicine.
PY - 2019/9
Y1 - 2019/9
N2 - In palliative care, opioids and other controlled drugs are among the most commonly used and important medications. Opioids are associated with significant risk of dependence and misuse. In many developed countries, there is an epidemic of prescription opioid misuse and overdose deaths. Palliative care has a critical role educating patients about the safe use of opioids, providing universal screening and close monitoring, and prescribing opioids appropriately balancing the risks and benefits. This is particularly important in the era of early palliative care, when patients have much longer survival and potentially greater risk of misuse while on chronic opioid therapy. Here, we provided a critical appraisal of opioid use in the context of opioid crisis and early palliative care. We also present a pragmatic 10-step approach for the judicious use of opioids.
AB - In palliative care, opioids and other controlled drugs are among the most commonly used and important medications. Opioids are associated with significant risk of dependence and misuse. In many developed countries, there is an epidemic of prescription opioid misuse and overdose deaths. Palliative care has a critical role educating patients about the safe use of opioids, providing universal screening and close monitoring, and prescribing opioids appropriately balancing the risks and benefits. This is particularly important in the era of early palliative care, when patients have much longer survival and potentially greater risk of misuse while on chronic opioid therapy. Here, we provided a critical appraisal of opioid use in the context of opioid crisis and early palliative care. We also present a pragmatic 10-step approach for the judicious use of opioids.
KW - Cancer pain
KW - Early palliative care
KW - Opioid crisis
KW - Pain management
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85073087352&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85073087352&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.21037/apm.2019.08.01
DO - 10.21037/apm.2019.08.01
M3 - Review article
C2 - 31431028
AN - SCOPUS:85073087352
SN - 2224-5820
VL - 8
SP - 420
EP - 427
JO - Annals of Palliative Medicine
JF - Annals of Palliative Medicine
IS - 4
ER -