Turning the Tide of Opioid Addiction
ABSTRACT
The opioid crisis has reached a perilous level throughout the United States , producing devastating effects for patients , families , and communities . Furthermore , the trend toward opioid addiction has not only persisted through the COVID pandemic , it has worsened . 1 Immediate , decisive action and changes in protocol are required . Swift actions will help to turn the tide of this life-crushing epidemic . Physicians , dentists and other clinicians who prescribe pain medications must adopt prudent and responsible choices that protect patients . It is imperative that all healthcare practitioners take an urgent and direct stand against overprescribing opioids , commit to a new paradigm in the field of pain management for healthcare , and hold ourselves accountable to preventing addiction to such narcotics . Minor alterations in long-standing habits and targeted training are not enough . Dramatic revisions are essential . At the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine , we crafted a new approach that has achieved highly desirable results . In its first year of implementation , we realized a 54-percent reduction in opioid prescriptions despite a massive increase in prescribing medications for treatment due to the pandemic hampering inperson visits . And , this outcome has now been sustained over the course of several years . Due to such a successful clinical approach and with input from faculty experts , I developed The Costello Guidelines for Prescribing Pain Medications to formalize our approach in the interest of sharing it with colleagues . Additionally , the Costello Pain Care Pledge is an invitation meant to encourage dentists , physicians and all prescribing clinicians to demonstrate their commitment to this allimportant effort . Everyone in the healthcare sector needs to rally while policymakers and other public officials endorse and support these efforts as well . A cohesive effort from those who can affect such a change will make all the difference in the world to those we serve .
INTRODUCTION / BACKGROUND
The opioid epidemic was declared a national emergency in the autumn of 2017 . The Center for Disease Control ( CDC ) reports 841,000 overdose deaths since 1999 – 70-percent of which have involved opioids . A study reported by Harvard Medical School and ABC News chronicled that opioid overdoses were 29-percent higher in 2020 as compared to the period prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic . 1 The CDC stated that opioid deaths increased 38.4-percent to 81,000 during the twelve months ended in May 2020 . Additionally , the U . S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that over 100,000 people in the U . S . have been lost to overdoses in a single year as of April 2021 . This was the highest number of overdose deaths ever recorded over a one-year period . These statistics are indications that the crisis is deepening , pointing to the need for dramatic and resolute action that will yield positive change leading to sustainable results .
U . S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that over
100,000 PEOPLE
in the U . S . have been lost to overdoses in a single year as of April 2021
12 MARCH / APRIL 2022 | PENNSYLVANIA DENTAL JOURNAL