I. Inadequate Monitoring of Opioid-Induced Respiratory Depression Opioids are a category of pain medications that reduce the stimulus of pain signals sent from the brain. Within this category are medications such as hydrocodone, oxycodone, morphine, codeine, and other similar drugs. These medications are used to treat mild to severe pain depending on dosages and type of opioid given. With the reduced perception of pain also comes a plethora of unpleasant symptoms such as drowsiness, mental confusion, nausea, constipation, and, depending upon the amount of drug taken, can depress respiration. However, many experience a euphoric experience after administration that drives them to abuse opioids. This abuse leads to addiction or overdose which …show more content…
This helps provide more patient centered care. Guidelines to follow after opioid administration will vary by hospital but it is still necessary to use sedation scales with acceptable measures of reliability and validity for pain management. The use of sedation scales should be used with consistent monitoring of respirations. Pasero (2009) emphasizes that a comprehensive evaluation of respiratory status that includes depth, regularity, rate, and noisiness of respiration in addition to sedation assessment is essential to decision making during opioid administration for pain management. Respirations should be counted for a full minute while the patient is at rest in a quiet and relaxed environment. There are many sedation scales which will vary depending on the hospital, some include the Ramsey Sedation Scale, Motor Activity Assessment Scale, Sedation-Agitation Scale, Richmond Agitation and Sedation Scale, The Hartwig Scale, and more. These scales measure factors such as level of agitation, levels of arousability, quality of responses, and drowsiness. Technological monitoring techniques to use as support include continuous pulse oximetry and capnography, which can both be effective for unattended advancing sedation and respiratory depression, (Jarzyna et al.1,
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Show Moremends the Controlled Substances Act to increase the number of patients that a qualifying practitioner dispensing narcotic drugs for maintenance or detoxification treatment is initially allowed to treat from 30 to 100 patients per year. Allows a qualifying physician, after one year, to request approval to treat an unlimited number of patients under specified conditions, including that he or she: (1) agrees to fully participate in the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program of the state in which the practitioner is licensed, (2) practices in a qualified practice setting, and (3) has completed at least 24 hours of training regarding treatment and management of opiate-dependent patients for substance use disorders provided by specified organizations.
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,
This tolerance soon leads to addiction, and messes with the patient's tolerance when taking this powerful medication. Yet there are many pharmaceutical companies that hide how addictive opioids can really be. Patients get told about the side effects before having to take the drug but pharmaceutical companies tend to falsely advertise how intense side effects can really be. According to Dwyer, “Your Guide To The Massive (And Massively Complex) Opioid Litigation” states, “Broadly speaking, all these companies have been accused of fueling the nation's
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.
Opioid Epidemic in the United States The opioid crisis has risen over the years here in America. The addiction to painkillers has caused many drug overdoses across America. According to the Vox," In 2015, more than 52,000 people have died from drug overdoses from linked to opioids such as Percocet, heroin, Oxycontin or even fentanyl. This problem did not become an overnight health crisis, but it has become quickly known in America. Expanding our drug treatment centers across America would provide the support to those who are addicted to drugs.
In the United States alone, more than 36 million people abuse illegal substances, however, most of these are not caused by the prescription of opioids. A drug abuse crisis is overtaking the U.S. Drug abuse kills over 200,000 people worldwide each year, although only .002 percent of these deaths are caused by the prescription of opioids. 117 million people suffer from a chronic illness, many of which need the prescription of opioids to function on a daily basis. Even though many people abuse them, doctors should not stop prescribing opioids because they are necessary for many people to function, most people who abuse them have had problems with other substances, and most opioid-related deaths do not come from doctor prescribed pills.
The prevalence of opioid drug-related overdose has risen progressively over the past two decades becoming one of the leading causes of death in the United States. According to Center for Disease Control, drug overdoses accounted for 52,404 U.S. deaths, including 33,091 (63.1%) that involved an opioid in 2015 (Rudd, Seth, David & Scholl, 2016). To date, the numbers are continuously snowballing and it has been a major factor in the burgeoning costs of healthcare in the United States. In fact, the economic burden of opioid abuse cost the nation a staggering amount of $78.5 billion a year, taking into account the costs of healthcare, lost productivity, addiction treatment, and even goes beyond issue of criminal justice (Florence, Zhou, Luo &
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.
Patients evaluated in acute pain will often have narcotics withheld until after the patient has been evaluated by a surgeon and has given informed consent. Concern that the patient would have impaired judgment due to narcotic effects often prevents the administration of timely pain relief. Similarly administration of anxiolytics and benzodiazepines are avoided until the patient has consented to the procedure. As there is a considerable heterogeneity in the metabolism of a particular drug depending on age and patient characteristics, there is no specific timeline of how long should one wait prior to getting consent if these medications are given accidentally.
I. Importance: As American deaths from drug overdoses continue to rise in the United States, the nation is faced with a public health crisis so profound that in October 2017, President Trump declared the opioid epidemic to be a national public health emergency (Merica). President Trump’s declaration came after numerous studies indicating the danger opioid addiction posed; for example, a 2016 study entitled “Increases in Drug and Opioid-Involved Overdose Deaths—United States, 2010-2015” claimed that drug overdose deaths “nearly tripled during 1999-2014,” reaching a startling high 52,404 deaths in 2015 (Rudd, et al). These statistics are more than just disturbing revelations regarding the opioid crisis; they are evidence of a serious problem that is rapidly affecting the lives of more and more Americans every year. Death by overdose is not the only public policy concern, however, as millions of Americans are also addicted to prescription opioids.
Prescription drugs (opiates only) have caused over 165,000 deaths within the last 15 years and is currently on the rise. Over 2 million Americans in 2014 were addicted to Opiate prescription narcotics. The most troubling fact is listed directly on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website: “As many as 1 in 4
Addiction and drug abuse is used as a way to escape the harsh problems in society.
Cape May County has a serious problem with heroin. Different law enforcement strategies and educational programs can help stop this problem. Heroin is an opioid drug that is synthesized from morphine, which is a naturally occurring substance extracted from the seed pod of the Asian opium poppy plant. Heroin usually appears as a white or brown powder or as a black sticky matter known as “black tar heroin”. Heroin can be smoked, inhaled or injected, all deliver the drug extremely rapidly.
There was improvement in many areas of the country following the crackdown on prescription drug abuse and pill mills. However, another result of the crackdownwas a diminution in the availability of prescription painkillers and the price for the painkillers on the street became more expensive. The ones who became addicted to painkillers during the pill mill epidemic then turned to heroin. The crackdown of pill mills inadvertently fueled the epidemic of heroin. “Between 2007 and 2012, heroin use rose 79 percent nationwide, according to federal data.
The CIWA evaluation tool is sometimes replaced with the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS) and Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) assessment tools when patients reside in the ICU.24 These are well validated tools that evaluate the level of a patient’s agitation versus sedation and presence or absence of