CDC releases new patient care guidelines to prevent opioid abuse

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recently released new guidelines that provide recommendations that will enhance the care and safety of patients that have been prescribed opioids for chronic pain.

The guidelines are an effort, in cooperation with the government, aimed at combating prescription drug abuse.

The focus of the guidelines are the physicians who are responsible for primary care. The CDC gives them suggestions on collaborations with practitioners including pharmacists. Also included in the guidelines are cooperative models for the administration of naloxone.

The CDC stressed that the information in the guidelines is for use in adult patients suffering from chronic pain, and not to be used for active cancer treatment, palliative care or end-of-life care.

Estimates from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) indicate that 100 million Americans currently live with chronic pain. This does not include 46 million people who suffer from acute pain due to surgical procedures as estimated by the CDC.