A new framework for evaluating opioid prescribing

What is it about?

Opioid (painkiller) prescribing is one of the most difficult areas for practitioners to navigate. Opioids remain an effective treatment for many types of pain but are also substances of use and misuse for some--a reality that has garnered increased attention in the last few years in the midst of the opioid related overdose crisis. There are stronger incentives than ever to avoid opioid prescribing altogether (and sometimes the patients themselves) out of fear of scrutiny by law enforcement, medical boards, or others. Doing so, however, goes against the basic obligations of practitioners to provide patient centered care and reduce suffering. We offer a new approach for evaluating prescribing practices that separates those providing appropriate care from those very small number of careless, corrupt, or compromised physicians.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

This article offers an alternative framework for evaluating opioid prescribing practices. Using interdisciplinary literature to evaluate and critique existing models, the paper calls on policy makers to critically evaluate their current approaches in light of existing evidence from law, medicine, social & behavioral psychology as well as example cases.