CDC Issues New Opioid Guidelines For Primary Care

To combat the growing opioid epidemic in the United States, the CDC has issued new recommendations for the prescribing of pain killers outside of cancer treatment and palliative care.

The 12 recommendations, intended to improve communication between clinicians and patients about the risks of opioid therapy and to reduce the risks associated with long-term opioid use, are broken down into 3 categories:

  • Determining when to initiate or continue opioids for chronic pain.
  • Opioid selection, dosage, duration, follow-up, and discontinuation.
  • Assessing risk and addressing harms of opioid use.

The recommendations are aimed specifically at primary care providers, who account for nearly half of all current opioid prescriptions, according to the CDC.
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Notable among the recommendations is the limiting of opioid prescriptions for acute pain to 3 days or less, with prescriptions of 7 days or more being suggested in only certain situations. They also note that nonpharmacologic and nonopioid pharmacologic therapies should be the preferred first line treatment for chronic pain, and that opioids should be used in conjuction with nonpharmacologic therapy as appropriate.

“This CDC guideline offers clarity on recommendations based on the most recent scientific evidence, informed by expert opinion and stakeholder and public input.”

“Using guidelines to address problematic prescribing has the potential to optimize care and improve patient safety based on evidence-based practice, as well as reverse the cycle of opioid pain medication misuse that contributes to the opioid overdose epidemic.”

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Dowell D, Haegerich TM, Chou R. CDC guideline for prescribing opioids for chronic pain — United States, 2016. March 15, 2016 [epub ahead of print]. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/rr/rr6501e1er.htm.