ASSIGNMENT HELP | What needs to be address to the opioid crisis in the United states

Thesis statement

The United States of America is battling increased rates of opioid addiction and related deaths. These negative effects of opioids need urgent attention from stakeholders to | PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW AT writtask.com | more damage from being | PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW AT writtask.com | I posit that implementing strategies to promote the application of safe practices in managing pain by healthcare givers is the best first step to prevent misuse that leads to addiction and eventually death.

Introduction

1. The usage of prescription opioids is increasingly becoming linked to risks for misuse, abuse, and diversion.  In the United States, the CDC reports that 128 people die daily from overdosing on prescription opioids (Bolliger & Stevens, 2019).
2. Since 1997, Opioid sales have dramatically increased by over 200% and this is coinciding with increasing statistics of abuse and deaths linked with opioid abuse (Bolliger & Stevens, 2019).
3. The economic costs related to the problem are also significant, emanating from a rise in healthcare utilization. Data shows that annually, the economic burden of abusing prescription opioids is well over $78 billion, which comprises costs of healthcare, dwindling productivity, treatment for addiction, and criminal justice (Bolliger & Stevens, 2019).
4. I opine that to stop the opioid epidemic in the US, urgent measures to promote the application of safe methods in managing pain by healthcare providers will significantly decrease the likelihood of misuse, abuse, and diversion of opioids.

Body paragraphs

Supporting arguments

1. Providing education to healthcare xxx and patients on the effects of opioids and xxx proper usage can decrease their misuse, abuse, and diversion. Physicians be xxx on safe opioid prescriptions xxx patients should be xxx on the safe use of opioids (Hahn, 2011).
2. Using xxx monitoring xxx helps gather data on the number of providers prescribing the xxx for each patient and the pharmacies where it is dispensed for that particular patient. These programs xxx necessary as they can monitor a patient’s use of the drugs xxx once his/her determined threshold is reached, action can be taken including restricting pharmacies from xxx further prescriptions to the patient xxx referring the patient for further assistance (Butler et al., 2008).  
3. Prevention of xxx prescribing and medical errors by xxx up efficient systems can significantly xxx misuse and abuse of opioids. Electronic prescribing has proven to be an effective way of ensuring xxx errors related to prescribing are eliminated.
4. Using abuse-deterrent opioid xxx is another approach for the prevention of abuse of the drug. Three approaches to this strategy include using the fortress, neutralizing, and aversive approaches (Raffa & Pergolizzi, 2010).

Opposing arguments

1. The use of prescription xxx programs may only be effective if all illegal outlets of the drug are sealed. As it is currently, even when a patient attains his/her prescription threshold, they may still find unlicensed outlets to get more opioids for use.
2. The use of abuse-deterrent opioid formulations is still being used on trial basis and their practical effectiveness has not yet been established. Until that time when they will be scientifically proven will this approach be highly recommended

Conclusion

The opioid crisis in the US is fast-approaching unmanageable levels and therefore there is need for urgent measures to reduce its adverse effects. Approaches that promote the application of safe practices for prescription opioids can be an effective intervention to reduce misuse, abuse and diversion of the drugs slowing the epidemic.

References

Hahn, K. L. (2011). Strategies to prevent opioid misuse, abuse, and diversion that may also reduce the associated costs. American health & drug benefits, 4(2), 107.

Butler, S. F., Budman, S. H., Licari, A., Cassidy, T. A., Lioy, K., Dickinson, J., … & Katz, N. (2008). National addictions vigilance intervention and prevention program (NAVIPPRO™): a real‐time, product‐specific, public health surveillance system for monitoring prescription drug abuse. Pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety, 17(12), 1142-1154.

Raffa, R. B., & Pergolizzi, J. V. (2010). Opioid formulations designed to resist/deter abuse. Drugs, 70(13), 1657-1675.

Bolliger, L., & Stevens, H. (2019). From opioid pain management to opioid crisis in the USA: how can public-private partnerships help?. Frontiers in medicine, 6, 106.