CAP TODAY Pathology/Laboratory Medicine/Laboratory Management
April 2018—The National Institute on Drug Abuse estimates that 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain. The majority of drug overdose deaths involve an opioid, and nearly half of drug overdoses caused by opioids involve prescription drugs.
The American Medical Association has formed a task force to combat the opioid crisis and has supported state-based prescription drug monitoring programs through which registered physicians can access information about their patients’ current medications before prescribing a new one. The AMA also supports increased access to naloxone to reduce deaths from overdose and encourages physicians to become certified in providing medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorders with buprenorphine.
The CAP Council on Scientific Affairs has formed a project team that is developing a position statement on the opioid crisis that will soon be complete. Barbarajean Magnani, PhD, MD, who chairs the CAP Toxicology Resource Committee, is a member of that team.