Prescription Opioids: Even When Prescribed by a Doctor
Summary: Informational, 1-minute-31-second video that raises awareness about prescription opioids among the general public. Some people might think prescription opioids are safer than alcohol or illegal drugs, but the truth is they carry serious risks and side effects. Talk with your doctor about your concerns and make informed decisions about pain management together.
Risk Factors in Opioid Prescribing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9VBbIFurZE
Summary: This video addresses the various risk factors likely to increase susceptibility to opioid-associated harms and suggests strategies for mitigating these risks.
Prescription Opioids: Back on Track
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfojmJtnvFU
Summary: 60-second animated PSA for healthcare providers that highlights the risks of opioids and offers some nonopioid options for chronic pain management. Manage chronic pain, prevent opioid use disorder, and refer to the CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain to minimize patient risk and save lives.
Tapering Opioids for Chronic Pain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89UXlpijYyE
Summary: This video describes when and how providers should initiate opioid tapering, and ways to support patients through the process. This includes working with patients to lower dosages or to taper and discontinue opioids, when appropriate. Providers should include their patients in collaborative decision-making and individualize tapering plans to support the specific needs of their patients.
Addressing Opioid Overdose Deaths in the Workplace
Summary: On average, 115 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose, according to 2017 data from Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Since then, the United States has experienced a surge of overdose deaths during the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, according to a CDC health advisory (https://emergency.cdc.gov/han/2020/ha…) issued in December of 2020. Some states have reported an increase in opioid deaths as high as 98%. Overdoses are becoming increasingly common in the workplace. Naloxone can reverse many of the potentially fatal side effects of an opioid overdose. Having naloxone on hand can provide a tool that a workplace can use while waiting on first responders to arrive on the scene. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) developed this video based on our fact sheet (https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2019-1…) to help employers decide if having naloxone available is right for their workplace. It provides a series of steps for employers to consider when deciding whether their workplaces should make the overdose reversal medication available on-site in the event of an overdose. It also gives employers and workers information on how to implement and maintain a workplace naloxone program. Overdose deaths from opioids is a serious health issues in the United States. Naloxone is an effective drug for reversing opioid overdoses. Consider establishing a naloxone program in your workplace.
Rx Awareness Campaign Trailer
Summary: Preview of CDC’s Rx Awareness campaign featuring powerful, real-life accounts of people recovering from opioid use disorder, highlighting that while prescription opioids can be addictive and dangerous, there is hope – recovery is possible. Rx Awareness is CDC’s latest effort in the fight against the prescription opioid overdose crisis.
Effective Interventions to Combat Opioid Misuse: Studies from the Field
Summary: From the NIOSH Total Worker Health Program and Center for Workers’ Compensation Studies, this 60-minute webinar features Drs. Kuang-chi Chang from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), William Shaw from UConn Health, and Yonatan Ben-Shalom of Mathematica, as they share findings from a report on the State of the Field in Opioid Prescription Management, (https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/file…). This webinar is appropriate for anyone interested in the intersection of opioids and work.
Teresa’s Rx Awareness Story
Summary: Teresa tells her Rx Awareness story about losing her brother at age 32, to a prescription opioid overdose.
Judy’s Rx Awareness Story
Summary: Judy tells her son Steve’s Rx Awareness story and shares the tragedy of losing her son to a prescription opioid overdose.
HHS/CDC Recs to Expand the Use of Naloxone to Reverse Opioid Overdose
Summary: About 48,000 drug overdose deaths involved opioids in the United States in 2017. Naloxone is a life-saving drug that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. Despite recent progress in naloxone dispensing, it remains under-prescribed. Healthcare providers & pharmacists play a critical role in ensuring patients receive naloxone. During this COCA Call, clinicians will learn about HHS & CDC recommendations for the prescribing or dispensing of naloxone to patients at risk for opioid overdose.
Opioid Overdoses Treated in Emergency Departments: Identify Opportunities for Action
Summary: Opioid overdose emergency department visits rose 30% in all parts of the U.S. from July 2016 through September 2017.
Opioid Painkiller Prescribing: Where You Live Makes a Difference
Summary: This month’s Vital Signs (www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/) reports health care providers wrote 259 million prescriptions for painkillers in 2012, enough for every American adult to have a bottle of pills. Higher prescribing of painkillers is associated with more overdose deaths. The report also has examples of states that reversed its overdose trend.
Prescription Drug Overdoses: An American Epidemic
Summary: The United States is in the grip of an epidemic of prescription drug overdoses. Over 27,000 people died from overdoses in 2007, a number that has risen five-fold since 1990 and has never been higher. Prescription drugs are now involved in more overdose deaths than heroin and cocaine combined. For health professionals, policymakers and legislators, addressing this problem is complicated—while they push for education, prevention, and enforcement to reverse this epidemic, they must also ensure that patients with a legitimate need for these medications still have access to them. This important session of Public Health Grand Rounds will address these challenges and explore the innovative state and federal policies and interventions that are showing promise in reducing injury and death from this epidemic.