In the article “Brief Research Report Defining Chronic Pain Ethics” it discusses the current issues in the diagnosis and treatments of chronic pain. A program called The Pain Action Initiative: A National Strategy (PAINS) conducted several focus groups in five cities in the US, including;Seattle, Tampa, Boston, Chicago, and San Diego . These groups consisted of people with pain, providers, insurance and pharmaceutical industry representatives, law enforcement agents, and advocacy groups who came up with various issues dealing with chronic pain. The goal was to identify current issues dealing with chronic pain. The groups came up with six main subjects which included: disparities, quality care, trained professionals, opioids use and addiction, …show more content…
Most primary care providers have very little education on the treatment of chronic pain. Which forces patients to travel a great distance for proper care since most specialists are in concentrated regions. Which makes it hard to have quality care. Most people are forced to settle for under-educated providers, since they are unable to reach a specialist. Health care providers agreed that there were very few lectures on chronic pain when working for their medical degrees(Mcgee et, al 2011). Since most primary care providers lack the proper education to help their patients, the patient usually is misinformed and misdiagnosed about their problem. Also since they lack the needed knowledge of chronic pain, they cannot discuss modalities with the patients and assure patients that their pain can be managed. In addition to having the education, providers must also have the patience to treat the patient, because chronic pain is as serious as any other major disease or condition that takes time to assess and …show more content…
In the U.S many professional stated that there is a constant fear about chronic pain medication and abuse. Therefore there has been a an urgency to put into place regulations that limit the provision of pain care.Increased regulations, a bureaucratic environment, and additional documentation practices such as opioid contracts have led to mistreatment of those needing care(Mcgee et, al 2011). Contracts have become accepted when it comes to prescribing opioids, but for more of a liability purpose. Contract such as these may conceal the possibilities of other modalities than opioids(Mcgee et, al 2011). This created a difficult situation when it came to who could be prescribed opioids and who could not based on the abuse history. The text states that legal practices and professional practices are becoming some how intertwined with each other and confusing, so, the provider, patient relationship is deteriorating and the priority of the one in need is
In the article, “Sometimes Pain Is a Puzzle That Can’t Be Solved”, Abigail Zuger, the author, describes her own experiences with pain along with some examples and generalizations about the feeling. She claims that she is “ruled by (her) elbow” and “it is (her) constant companion, whimpering, and tugging at (her) sleeve.” She goes on to say that many people have the same problems, especially when drugs, “like naproxen and ibuprofen” are unhelpful and “might as well be cornflakes.” Finally, she explains how far we have advanced in the medical field, but “ none of (the) knowledge has translated into new treatments,” to help people such as herself.
In other words, McGreal believes that corruption in various organizations created the perfect storm for the deadly opioid epidemic that now exists. Next, the author points out that American healthcare operates like a lucrative industry, which means that profit takes priority over people’s health. The author asserts that patients are given opioids because they are inexpensive, easily accessible, and highly addictive (McGreal). This means that the American healthcare system is driven by profit, and when dangerous opioids are prescribed excessively, individuals and organizations are made wealthy by innocent people’s addiction. Lastly, the author emphasizes that America is prey to this epidemic because our demanding, unhealthy culture believes that medication is the first step to feeling well.
As elaborated by Katelyn Newman, in her article ¨A Personal Look at a National Problem¨, the opioid epidemic in America is both severing family relationships and resulting in widespread suffering. In the aftermath of the historic increase of prescription drug abuse in the United States, as well as the opioid epidemic being deemed a national emergency by President Donald Trump, Newman brings to light the true impacts the crisis is having on the United States. By generalizing the population, expressing her words in a solemn tone, and through alternating between narrating and informing, Katelyn Newman calls all americans to be conscience of the opioid epidemic, and the effects it is having on the relationships between people within the United States.
The opioids epidemic interventions are essential to prevent prescribed opioids abuse, promote safe prescriptions for individuals and decrease mortality rates. Furthermore, the goals in practicing safe and regulated medicine, enables the individual who needs opioids analgesics to control their pain and suffering. Implementing interventions to this issue would include holding health care professionals accountable for misconduct, educating and evaluating physicians, pharmacists, and monitoring prescribers to apply state laws and regulations. A collaborative approach to regulate, educate and monitor is inevitable for effective outcomes! Consequently, many physicians may possibly be hesitant prescribing opioids drugs to prevent penalties.
His New York psychiatric office treats hundreds of patients each year, each suffering from some type of chronic pain. Even though thousands of patients have suffered with chronic pain for generations, and the medical community has legitimized the illness as real, a stigma remains. There are some who feel that the pain is merely in their minds, that they are making it up or imagining. Medical science disputes that claim, however, that type of backward thinking causes more grief for the sufferers. It is because of this that many chronic pain sufferers are hesitant to seek pain management help from a psychiatric
In the past, opioids have been used to treat moderate to severe pain such as cancer or post surgery, and on a short term basis. Now they are prescribed to anyone who is experiencing chronic pain and on a long term basis. Opioids being taken for chronic pain allows everyone to have the ability to carry out their daily life easily and without pain. In light of opioids helping people manage their pain, the problem lies with what they are being prescribed for now, how long, and how much. Opioids are now being prescribed for back pain, migraines, and other small instances.
Underlying Causes: The increase in the sale of opioids is considered to be the root of the opioid crisis, as the drugs have been proven to be highly addictive. An addiction to prescriptive opioids, however, can lead to an addiction to synthetic, illegal opioids, such as heroine or fentanyl, which are less expensive and easier to acquire. In fact, in their journal article, “Associations of nonmedical pain reliever use and initiation of heroin use in the United States” Pradip Muhuri and associates discovered that “the recent (12 months preceding interview) heroin incidence rate was 19 times higher among those who reported prior nonmedical prescription pain reliever (NMPR) use than among those who did not (0.39 vs. 0.02 percent)” (Muhuri et. al). In other words, abusing prescription opioids significantly raises the chances of abusing illicit drugs, such as heroin.
The key to safer and more effective prescribing is to educate doctors about addiction and alternative approaches to pain management. The State programs cited by CDC include an increased effort to monitor and intervene in areas of high-risk prescribing. The PDMP are tools that have been implemented in most states and these create a central database to enable prescribers and dispensers to see all prescription activity for certain classes of opioids (CDC,
The Opioid ban is where doctors are not able to prescribe patients their prescription drugs of opioids that they need. Opioids should be given to all those in need because many opioid alternatives are lest effective. Such as the alternative of therapy, and alternative medicines witch can potentially make matters worse for them. The opioid ban should not be administered due to resulting issues that could occur. To introduce this topic, I will talk about what opioids are, why the opioid ban is an issue for those who use them, and the effectiveness of the governments’ and doctors ‘recommended alternatives.
According to a recent study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2016), approximately one individual out of five patients established with a pain-related conditions, is recommended to use opioids for their pain. This practice has continued with time increasing the levels of opioid use among different patients. Medical practitioners have contributed largely to the increase of opioid usage because they are the ones who prescribe these drugs mostly to the patients. However, they have established a major challenge facing them on the prescription of these drugs, as there is a confluence of pain control versus the danger of misuse of such prescriptions. These facts have increased the need to curb this situation before it becomes impossible to deal
Dependence on prescription opioids can stem from treatment of chronic pain and in recent years is the cause of the increased number of opioid overdoses. Opioids are very addictive substances, having serious life threatening consequences in case of intentional or accidental overdose. The euphoria attracts recreational use, and frequent,
We can use this process by providing medical marijuana. Medical Marijuana can prevent from being given other drugs for pain. This is a possible solution to reduce the opioid prescriptions
Some patients prefer not to take pain medication because they fear addiction or may have a history of substance abuse. Educating the patients on their right to be free of pain and having their pain managed aggressively is a priority in the recovery phase. The goals that I hope to achieve during this clinical practicum
When looking at a scholarly journal or other form of report pertaining to controlled substances, the theme is usually pretty clear; “drugs are bad, people that do drugs are bad, and it’s only getting worse.” Moore challenges this theme by breaking the mold in his article, “The Other Opioid Crisis” by implementing several rhetorical devices to add a more human aspect to the not so black-and-white issue. “The Other Opioid Crisis” is an article that goes into the ethics and the arguments regarding those who are in need of opioids and their stories, alongside other ethical issues they may face. By providing stories of patients, Moore states his opinion which is backed strongly by the pains, both mentally and physically, that opioid prescribed patients face. In these stories he not only provides a detailed account of their struggles, he uses strong language to appeal to the pathos of the reader on a subject that may not be easy for many to sympathize with.
Sam Quinones’ Dreamland is a commentary about the opioid problem in America. Quinones draws attention to how in the twentieth century opioids were seen as addictive: “[D]octers treating the terminally ill faced attitudes that seemed medieval when it came to opiates” (184). In the 1970s, Purdue Pharma stated that opioids such as morphine were not addictive substances. After this study was released, many doctors began to view opioids as a viable option for pain relief. Throughout the rest of the book, Quinones explains the shift from doctors never prescribing opiates to prescription opiates being used to treat any sort of pain: chronic back pain, arthritis, severe headaches, etc.