The Opioid Epidemic

TLDR

Opioid use has risen sharply in the United States, with increasing diversion and harm, and orthopaedic surgeons—among the top prescribers—face a high risk of both therapeutic and nontherapeutic opioid complications. The study emphasizes the need for orthopaedic surgeons to recognize the harmful effects of opioid abuse and to use objective measures to identify patients at risk for nontherapeutic use. The authors propose using patient history, detection of aberrant behaviors, prescription drug monitoring programs, and opioid risk‑assessment tools to identify at‑risk patients.

Abstract

The past few decades have seen an alarming rise in opioid use in the United States, and the negative consequences from diversion of opioids for nontherapeutic use are dramatically increasing. A significant number of orthopaedic patients are at risk for repercussions from both therapeutic and nontherapeutic opioid use. Orthopaedic surgeons are the third highest prescribers of opioid prescriptions among physicians in the United States. Thus, it is important for orthopaedic surgeons to understand the detrimental effects of opioid abuse on individuals and society and to recognize objective measures to identify patients at risk for nontherapeutic opioid use. These measures include elements of the patient history, recognition of aberrant behaviors, prescription drug monitoring programs, and opioid risk-assessment tools.