Article, Emergency Medicine

A changing landscape of opioid prescribing in emergency medicine

a b s t r a c t

Emergency Medicine providers are grappling with the dual challenges of adequately treating pain while avoiding the risks associated with opioid pain relievers. The aggressive treatment of pain with opioids for the last three de- cades has resulted in an epidemic of Opioid use disorder and opioid related mortality. This editorial discusses the findings in a study of emergency department (ED) opioid prescribing by Yang et al. and explores the changing landscape of opioid prescribing in emergency medicine. We specifically discuss risks associated with opioid pre- scribing, strategies to reduce risks while improving pain management, the role of advanced practice providers in ED opioid prescribing, and the importance of further education on opioid sparing pain management strategies.

(C) 2018

On the frontlines of healthcare delivery, emergency medicine pro- viders grapple with the most challenging problems that impact our communities. Front and center in the minds of many emergency pro- viders (EPs) are the increasing challenges of adequately treating pain and preventing opioid use disorder. An estimated 20% of Americans re- ported having pain on most days or every day in a 2016 survey [1]. While there is limited data on the prevalence of pain over time, there is evidence that low back pain has been increasing in the US [2,3]. With an aging population and increasing chronic disease, the preva- lence of chronic pain is likely to rise. Since the 1990s, there has been a cultural change to treat chronic noncancer pain more aggressively with opioids and this more aggressive treatment has resulted in an ep- idemic of opioid use disorder and opioid related mortality with little ev- idence for long-term improvement in the function or pain of patients with chronic noncancer pain [4]. In addition to these challenges, emer- gency departments across the country are under scrutiny to lower costs and increase efficiencies [5]. As a result, there are pressures on EPs to treat pain effectively and efficiently and advanced practice provider (APPs) are playing a larger role in the provision of care in emergency de- partments (EDs).

A study by Yang et al. (2018) in this issue examines emergency pro- vider prescribing in the National Hospital Ambulatory Care Survey and reveals a snapshot of opioid prescribing among Emergency Depart- ments. Interestingly, the most common diagnosis for which a patient re- ceived an opioid was an injury related complaint excluding fracture,

* Corresponding author at: 1000 Blythe Blvd, MEB 3rd Floor, Charlotte, NC 28203, United States of America.

E-mail address: [email protected] (C.A. Griggs).

measured at 20.5% of all ED opioid prescribing in this dataset. This mea- sure did not distinguish between opioids given in the emergency de- partment versus prescribed at discharge but does reveal an area of pain complaints that are amenable to opioid sparing interventions. Pro- viders may view a sprain or strain that is reported as severe as requiring opioids to meet patient expectations. However, extremity strains and sprains can often be effectively managed with acetaminophen, NSAIDS, and other Adjunctive therapies [6]. The introduction of opioids early in the treatment process may bias the patient encounter with little evidence for improved outcomes. Additionally, there is concern that ex- ogenous opioids may suppress the brains own natural endorphin re- lease and decrease opioid receptor responsiveness to endorphins, prolonging the pain experience [6,7]. The early use of opioids without attempting opioid sparing multimodal therapy, prioritizes the possibil- ity of more immediate pain relief at the potential cost of a prolonged pain and recovery. A recent study examining alternatives to opioids showed significant reduction in Opioid utilization across an ED popula- tion while maintaining effective pain management and patient satisfac- tion [7]. There is a significant opportunity in EDs to continue to treat pain aggressively while sparing the harmful effects of early opioid inter- vention in patients presenting with pain complaints.

The Yang et al. [13] study also highlights the changing landscape of emergency medicine and prescribing among our providers. The authors describe an increasing role of APPs in prescribing of opioids in the emer- gency department from 2005 to 2015. The proportion of opioids pre- scribed by emergency physicians alone decreased slightly and APPs saw a significant increase in opioid prescribing related visits, with visits seen by an NP alone nearly doubling during the study period. Interest- ingly, Yang et al. also identified that APPs and physicians served differ- ent populations with APPs prescribing opioids more frequently for low

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajem.2018.10.042

0735-6757/(C) 2018

328 C.A. Griggs, C.J. Schulz / American Journal of Emergency Medicine 37 (2019) 327328

acuity visits such as Dental pain and injury related pain and physicians prescribing more frequently for complex conditions. This reflects the current role of APPs in many emergency departments, caring for a higher percentage of lower acuity patients while allowing physicians to focus more resources on the care of complex patients. As APP utiliza- tion in EDs continues to increase, and particularly in the management of lower acuity visits, they must continue to be included as a central player in development of continuing education and departmental protocols on opioid sparing pain management.

education programs for current and future emergency providers must continue to expand knowledge strategies for management of pain and Substance use disorders. The culture of aggressively treating a majority of moderate to severe pain complaints with opioids has re- sulted in associated morbidity and mortality for susceptible patients and begs for a better approach. The fundamental problem with opioids is their potential to alter the function of neural pathways critical to re- ward and motivation resulting in opioid use disorder [8]. There are risk factors associated with opioid use disorder that can be screened for among ED patients and EPs should weigh these risks each time they consider using an opioid [9]. epidemiological data suggests the lon- ger the duration of an Opioid prescription in an opioid naive patient the greater the risk the patient will have long term dependency on opioids [10]. For this reason, a better strategy is to keep brains opioid naive while aggressively managing pain by targeting multiple sites of pain transmission with therapies that have low risk for dependency or addic- tion [11]. When choosing to prescribe opioids for severe pain, providers can reduce risk by using the lowest effective dose for the shortest effec- tive duration in combination with other multimodal therapies. An even greater challenge is the management of patients with chronic pain and/ or opioid dependency. Further education is needed on the concepts of pain centralization and tools that EPs can use to manage chronic pain in the ED. Additionally, opioid dependency presents its own unique challenges in the management of acute and chronic pain. Providers must receive education on how to adequately manage withdrawal hyperalgesia, opioid induced hyperalgesia, and exacerbations of pain in the opioid dependent patient. Institutions responsible for the training and education of physicians and APPs should continue to improve their curriculums and require continuing medical education to include the latest science on pain, opioids, and substance use disorders.

While opioids can add effective short-term pain relief in many pa-

tients, the longer-term outcomes are questionable and the risk for harm is significant. We must be vigilant about favoring short term out- comes over long term health when developing pain management plans in the ED. There is reason to be optimistic. US spending on opioids showed a steeper decline in 2017 than any time since the peak of pre- scribing in 2011 [12]. As we continue to limit our opioid prescribing, we must not lose sight of providing adequate analgesia for our patients and helping those with Opioid dependence or opioid use disorder with appropriate treatments. If we can achieve equal pain relief with opioid

sparing modalities, this should be our goal. Fostering this culture among all providers is critical to decreasing the harms we have realized with our dependence on opioids for pain management.

For resources on opioid sparing pain management and education on chronic pain, please see these resources:

ACEP EQUAL Opioids Toolkit: https://www.acep.org/administration/ quality/equal/e-qual-opioid-initiative/e-qual-opioid-toolkit/

CDC Alternatives for Chronic Pain: https://www.cdc.gov/ drugoverdose/pdf/nonopioid_treatments-a.pdf

Provider Clinical support system Treating Chronic Pain Series: https://pcssnow.org/education-training/treating-chronic-pain- core-curriculum/

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