J U L Y 2 0 1 8 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 5
E
ven a minor surgical procedure can trigger a major opioid
addiction, a fact made all the more unsettling when you con-
sider that each year an estimated 40% of U.S. pain medication
prescriptions are written for post-surgical patients. What can you do
to nip a drug problem in the bud? Keep these steps in mind with each
patient that passes through your ORs.
1. Put it in writing. Change the post-op pain control culture by includ-
ing opioid-sparing anesthetic techniques and enhanced recovery path-
ways in your facility's policies and procedures. Would you let sur-
Help Solve the Opioid Epidemic
Don't pump patients full of prescription painkillers to treat post-op pain.
On Point
David M. Dickerson, MD
• DULY NOTED Policies and procedures that outline multimodal pain management techniques create a culture of awareness
about limiting opioid use.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN,
CNOR
