OnSiteClinics.Org

University of Michigan Guidelines for Opioid Use Post-Surgery

None of us can escape awareness about the catastrophic consequences of the use of opioids in America today.  You hear about it every time you turn on the news, whether local or national.  The costs are astounding (estimated at over $500 billion for 2015), and stopping the spread of opioid addiction is far from easy.  But, a team of surgeons at the University of Michigan wanted to do something about one of the root causes – the prescription of too many tablets to control post-surgical pain.  Their task was to try to scientifically determine how many pills a patient really needs during recovery for a specific list of surgical procedures.  As a result of their work, they have published a new tool available online for free, which addresses their recommendations for 11 specific, often performed, operations.    The CDC has developed guidelines for the prescribing of opioids for the control of chronic pain, but U of M physicians have taken another step in this important march to reducing opioid addiction with their new guidelines.  Are your surgical specialists aware?