Chronic Pain and Safer Opioid Prescribing
A number of agencies and organizations have developed guidelines on the use of opioids in the treatment of chronic pain. Foremost is the CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain which was released in March 2016 and was formally adopted by the NCMB in January 2017 (replacing earlier NCMB Guideline from 2014). Licensing boards for nursing, dentistry, podiatry, and pharmacy were directed by the NCGA to adopt the NCMB’s Guidelines.
The CDC also provides guidance on nonopioid treatment and the treatment of common pain conditions such as low back pain, osteoarthritis, migraine, and fibromyalgia.
The American Academy of Family Physicians also provides guidelines for treatment of common pain conditions: Low Back, Fibromyalgia and Osteoarthritis.
Facing Addiction in America: the Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health was released in November 2016 and provides guidance on evidence-based approaches to preventing and treating opioid use disorder.
Other guidelines and guidance of note:
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Federation of State Medical Boards: Model Policy on the Use of Opioid Analgesics in the Treatment of Chronic Pain (2013)
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Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement: Pain: Assessment, Non-Opioid Treatment Approaches and Opioid Management (Revised 2016)
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Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ): The Effectiveness and Risks of Long-Term Opioid Treatment of Chronic Pain
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National Safety Council: Prescription National 2016: Addressing America’s Drug Epidemic
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Johns Hopkins School of Public Health: The Prescription Opioid Epidemic: An Evidence-Based Approach
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Common Elements and Comparison of Major Guidelines for Prescribing Opioids
Other CDC-developed pocket guides and one-pagers for clinicians including: