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A study conducted by researchers from NorthShore University Health System, Evanston, Illinois, reports that patients who receive intraoperative methadone during spinal fusion surgery need lower quantities of opioids, both oral and intravenous, to manage their postoperative pain. Lead author Glenn...
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A study of patient outcomes in a large general healthcare system found almost 20% of patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) died at some point in the 4 years following care. The results suggest a much higher mortality risk for patients with OUD in the general care setting, compared with patients in...
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Evidence-based medicine is how we connect research to clinical practice. It started in the 80s and 90s as of way of looking at how studies are done and how they could be applied to clinical care, and it’s gone through a number of changes over the years. Evidence-based medicine now is being applied...
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As professionals, we’re always thinking about the patients we’re helping and we rarely think about ourselves. Sometimes we feel even a little guilty when we do. And yet, I like to remind everyone when you’re listening to the safety instructions from the flight attendant, she or he says ‘put on your...
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A news story and accompanying article appearing last week, and authored by National Public Radio correspondent Craig Lemoult, highlights the problem of postoperative pain management in high risk patient populations. The story details the tragic death last December of 23-year-old Max Baker, a...
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Coinciding with, and in support of, National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, April 29, the American Medical Association (AMA) has released new recommendations for clinicians to engage in promoting the safe use, storage, and disposal of prescription opioids. The AMA says that the new recommendations...
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A research review conducted for the US Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) seeks to advance the goal of creating evidence-based recommendations for treating pregnant and parenting women with opioid use disorder (OUD). The report...
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A meta-analysis led by B. Lee Peterlin, DO, at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine concludes that both excessive weight and underweight conditions are associated with increased risk for migraine headache. The analysis examined 12 studies of body mass index (BMI) and migraine incidence...
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An article posted earlier this week in the National Pain Report offers a comprehensive but succinct perspective on what public policy on opioid prescribing might look like if written from the point of view of pain patients themselves. Richard Lawhern, PhD, a nonphysician researcher and advocate for...
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The nationwide opioid abuse epidemic has directed a lot of attention from the state and federal levels on the primary care provider. The CDC guidelines for the prescribing of opioids for acute pain can do a lot to help a provider to steel himself or herself in the event that there is inquiry into...