Physicians take steps to address opioid overdose epidemic

The physician role in reducing opioid medication misuse, overdose and death is an important one. Several new policies were put into place by physician delegates at the 2016 AMA Annual Meeting addressing factors that are critical  to reversing the epidemic, including prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMP), access to naloxone and addiction medicine as a sub-specialty. The importance and effectiveness of PDMPs The prevention and treatment of opioid use disorder has been a focus of the AMA’s Task Force to Reduce Prescription Opioid Abuse since its inception. PDMPs are important tools that physicians have to help them in this effort. Not all states allow physicians to access their own prescription records, which would provide better control against fraudulent prescribing. Physicians adopted policy to promote the efforts for state-run electronic PDMPs that allow individual physicians to access their opioid prescribing records for their entire panel of patients, including patient names and prescription information. New policy also asks that the AMA study current pathways that may allow physicians to report possible fraudulent use of their prescriptions. Increasing access to naloxone There has been a large increase in naloxone dispensed over the past 18 months, a report from the AMA Board of Trustees stated. From the fourth quarter of 2014 to the second quarter of 2015, there was a 1,170 percent increase. This life-saving opioid overdose antidote is an important...
Source: AMA Wire - Category: Journals (General) Authors: Source Type: news