4 0 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 0
Y
ou could make a legitimate argument that the CDC's
labeling of pain as "the fifth vital sign" in 2001 did more
harm than good and directly contributed to the current
opioid crisis, a problem deeply rooted in physicians'
attempts to completely eliminate pain with unnecessary
or unnecessarily large painkiller prescriptions.
"Opioids themselves aren't the problem," says Charles Luke, MD,
MBA, FASAM, director of acute interventional perioperative pain and
regional anesthesiology at the University of Pittsburgh (Pa.) Medical
Center, where in recent years surgeons are writing 50% fewer opioid
prescriptions. "The problem is that they've been overutilized for
decades."
Jared Bilski | Senior Associate Editor
Can You Cut Opioid Use in Half?
Reducing your reliance on painkillers is a
more realistic goal than trying to eliminate them completely.
• SPLIT DOSE Capitalizing on multiple
analgesic methods limits the risks associat-
ed with the overprescribing of opioids.
