Healthcare providers have an ethical and legal obligation to manage pain effectively for patients while adhering strictly to professional standards.
The use of opioids has been the subject of much attention lately. Opioids can help manage acute pain but long-term opioid use has been linked to addiction, overdose, death, and other negative effects (Frieden 2017, 2017).
It is crucial that healthcare professionals carefully assess the pain of their patients and offer a variety of treatments options. This will help to reduce these risks as well as promote pain management safety and effectiveness. American Pain Society (2016)
It is also important for healthcare providers to educate their patients regarding the possible risks and benefits to opioid use and to closely monitor their patients for signs and symptoms of abuse or misuse of opioids (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2016, 2016).