Opioid Abuse
Introduction
Opioid abuse is a common and significant problem in the US. This has been an issue of concern, especially for those in the healthcare industry. The rise in opioid addiction is a clear indicator of the underlying misuse of opioids by the public. The addiction increase affects the social and economic welfare of society. For example, in 2015, there were 33,000 opioid-related deaths reported. The number of overdoses was more than the reported deaths. The US reports that approximately 2million people have disorders due to opioid use (Ohio House of Representatives, 2016, January 11). This gives proof that there will be an even higher increase in opioid use and. Society is devastated by the growing addiction rates, so they are aware that the problem will only grow bigger. Lately, there has been increasing evidence that shows a link between the abuse of prescribed opioids and heroin abuse. The diverse impacts the two causes have brought a lot of attention. The government has come up with health policies to help mitigate opioid abuse.
A national survey done in 2015 on drug use and health showed a 3% use of prescription opioids with the youth aged 12-17years being the most affected. This rate had significantly increased from 2.6% in 2014 to 3.2% in 2016. The reports also showed misuse of prescription drugs for the people above 50 years. Older adults were said to be at an even higher risk of opioid abuse due to age-related complications. Due to the rising concerns, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has come in to help solve this problem/ it has come up with a health policy directed to the use of opioids in health organizations. This focused on the long term use of opioids as pain relievers (Manworren, Gilson, 2015, pp34-50). This policy is intended to ensure that health staff and patients use safer and more effective pain-relieving methods. This method has also been aimed at reducing the number of people who have gotten disorders due to opioid use.
The scope of the Advanced Practicing Research Nurses (APRNs) is a drug prescription, such as regulating substances such as opioids. These nurses will play an essential role in combating this epidemic if they adopt the policy as one of their practice (Rounds, Zych, Mallary, 2013, pp180-185). They will be aimed at providing evidence-based care to their patients to improve patient outcomes. APRNs have the authority to issue prescriptions to various medications. This role will be helpful when it comes to combating opioid abuse. Their role in the health sector will help them integrate these guidelines given by the CDC policy. For example, they can conduct comprehensive physical experiments to determine the patient’s pain severity to develop the appropriate treatment method for ruling out opioids. Also, APRNs that work in HIV care can use this policy to help reduce opioid-related disorders. The emergency or primary care team should incorporate this to enhance patient outcomes, reducing the use of opioids.
Conclusion
Opioid abuse is a significant health problem that has profoundly affected society. Most people with chronic pains use opioids as a pain reliever, which increases their use, disorders, and heroin addiction. The CDC policy was geared to reversing these effects to appropriate effects prescription of opioid drugs. This policy will come in handy in solving and wiping off the epidemic if only the guidelines set are put into place and followed accordingly.
References
Rounds, L. R., Zych, J. J., & Mallary, L. L. (2013). The consensus model for regulation of APRNs: Implications for nurse practitioners. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 25(4), 180-185.
Manworren, R. C., & Gilson, A. M. (2015). CE: Nurses’ Role in Preventing Prescription Opioid Diversion. AJN The American Journal of Nursing, 115(8), 34-40.
Ohio House of Representatives. (2016, January 11). State Rep. Sprague Announces Support For CDC Opioid Prescription Guidelines. Retrieved from Ohio House of Representatives: http://www.ohiohouse.gov/robert-sprague/press/state-rep-sprague-announces-support-for-cdc-opioid-prescription-guidelines