Intervention Opioid Epidemic

One of the worst drug problems in the US: the opioid epidemic

One of the worst drug problems in the US is reportedly the opioid epidemic. According to estimates, thousands of people per week pass away from illnesses linked to drug overdoses, while millions more struggle with opioid addiction. (Knopf, 5). In addition to endangering public health, the epidemic has had a negative impact on the economy and posed a challenge to national security. According to analysts, the legal painkillers like oxycodone were overprescribed as the cause of the pandemic. And has been exaggerated in the recent years with the entry of cheap synthetic opioids and heroin such as fentanyl.

The intervention by Primary Care Physicians

Due to the cases of the opioid epidemic, there has been an intervention by the Primary care physicians who deal with expressing their concern in regards to the competency when it comes to the treatment of the opioid epidemic. Various people are involved in the institution which is inclusive of the faculty and the residents. The concern that the institution has as well as the fear for the patient’s addiction and safety can be a significant hindrance to the proper management of opioid epidemic (Isaacs et al., 1). The primary care physicians are critical to various proposed efforts that are meant to fight the opioid disorder, and they always intervene to reduce mortality and morbidity. The enhancement of the training on managing pain, alteration of prescribing guidelines for opioid, detecting the addiction and medical school treatment as well as the increment of using the programs for monitoring the drug prescriptions are the actions that require the engagement of physicians. The recent studies that focus on the work of physicians have shown that physicians have focused mainly on matters that deal with tamper-resistant medication, pain management and the use of opioids in the treatment of chronic pains (Elabd, 9). This essay entails the description of the intervention program (Primary Care Physicians), assessing the weaknesses and strengths of the program to understand its full potential and eventually the overall conclusion that evaluates the overall discussion.

Program Description

Primary care physicians are always concerned with the opioid epidemic as well as the healthcare system. They aim at being accountable for almost half of the opioids prescription that is dispensed as well as providing essential therapies for the chronic pain. Although people who are addicted to opioid prescriptions have been the primary focus of receiving special treatment from various centers most of them tend to embrace the treatment from the primary care physicians ((Sinclair, 19).There is the existence of several educational programs that aid in the management and treatment of pain, screening and counseling the patients who suffer from the addiction to opioids. For instance, they have a program called Providers’ Clinical Support System for Opioid Therapies which is accessed online and aids people to access seminars, ongoing peer to peer support and various courses on medical education.

Primary Care Physicians as Interventionists to Reduce Harm

Primary Care Physicians deal with interventions that relate to the reduction of harm among patients. In this case, patients who are resistant to various treatments and those not seeking treatment can enjoy the benefits of the primary care interventions in reducing the health issues associated with the use of a certain drug (Knopf, 6).The teams that work in primary care intervene to reduce the harm that is caused by opioid overdose. This is achieved through educating the families and patients on the opioid overdose as well as the facilitation of accessing sterile needles for those who deal with the injection of drugs. According to Elabd (9), the physicians are supposed to develop an approach that is consistent as the nation moves towards the regulation of opioids. The Primary Care physicians are supposed to contribute immensely to such efforts during the generation of various opioid prescriptions.

Assessment

In as much as primary care physicians have been of huge benefits in the US healthcare systems, various studies have been conducted relating to the strengths and weaknesses of this intervention program. Regarding advantages, the intervention is always in a position of delivering proper care and treatment for patients suffering chronic diseases and exposed to too much pain. However, Sinclair (19) asserts that this only happens if the physicians have adequate training as well as essential information assessment. Also, through various treatment and assessment protocols done by the physicians, they are in a position of identifying the patients who have exposed the risk of misusing opioids. This helps the physicians in providing the behavior and background of the patient to clinicians thus being able to make proper treatment decisions.

The Weaknesses of Primary Care Physicians

Despite the strengths, however, various weaknesses are associated with the intervention of primary care physicians. On this basis, Knopf asserts that opioid analgesics is very efficient regarding managing pain and various studies have confirmed how effective the opioids are in treating some diseases such as cancer (p.6). The weakness of primary care physicians, in this case, is that they do not offer support to the use of opioids to such patients since they fear they might be addicted and that they might have adverse effects. Over the years, the use of opioids has been on the rise with the abuse of such medication being termed as an epidemic. However, some of the primary care physicians tend to have inadequate training relating to the management of pain more so for the patients suffering from chronic diseases within the primary cares (Isaacs et al., 1). In an era where there are increased concerns in regards to opioid misuse and regulatory scrutiny, there seems to be changed in the prescription attitudes of the primary care physicians. The physicians are less willing to manage the pain of non-cancer patients with opioids that are long term. This is because they feel they might be held responsible for the management of patients suffering from chronic pain as they may receive less support from the pain specialists.

Conclusion

To conclude, it is evident that opioid epidemic is rampant in the US which has resulted in the intervention of the primary care physicians. The program enacted by the physicians is meant to provide counseling to the patients suffering from opioids addiction, managing and treating the pain that patients suffer as well as doing the screening. The intervention by the primary care physicians aids in the reduction of the harm caused by an overdose of opioids. Primary care physicians tend to have various strengths and weaknesses. Regarding strengths, they are always in a position of delivering proper care and treatment for patients suffering chronic diseases and exposed to too much pain. Moreover, they are in a position of identifying the patients who have exposed the risk of misusing opioids. Some of the weaknesses include; they do not offer support to the use of opioids to some patients who suffer from diseases such as cancer as they fear they might be addicted and that they might have adverse effects. Another weakness is that some of the primary care physicians tend to have inadequate training relating to the management of pain more so for the patients suffering from chronic diseases within the primary cares. Overall, the intervention by primary care physicians is necessary for the US despite some of the weaknesses this is because; the program of this intervention has been improving over the years.

Works Cited

Elabd, Sonia. "Mindful Meditation For Chronic Pain Sufferers May Have Positive Effect." Topics in Pain Management 27.4 (2011): 9. Web.

Isaacs, Alex N., Kellie L. Knight, and Sarah A. Nisly. "Analysis Of A Standardized Perioperative Pain Management Order Set In Highly Opioid-Tolerant Patients." Journal of Patient Safety (2015): 1. Web.

Knopf, Alison. "Opioid Epidemic Brings Otps Into R.I. Corrections System." Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly 28.40 (2016): 5-6. Web.

Sinclair, Leslie. "Physicians Advised On Treatment Of Opioid-Addicted Newborns." Psychiatric News47.8 (2012): 19a-19a. Web.