P U B L I C H E A LT H U P D AT E : O P I O I D P R E S C R I B I N G G U I D E L I N E S
Matt Willis, MD, MPH
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arin County has a higher burden of accidental drug overdoses than most California counties. Addressing the problem of prescription drug misuse and abuse is a public health priority, and the Marin Medical Society has partnered with the Department of Health and Human Services to adopt guidelines for the use of opioids in the treatment of chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP). These will be distributed to Marin County prescribers, and I encourage you to keep them available for reference as you navigate choices with your patients. Don’t hesitate to tear them out—they’ve been placed in the middle of the magazine with that in mind. They can also be found at www.RxSafeMarin.org. Thank you. Dr. Willis is Marin County’s public health officer. Email: mwillis@marincounty.org.
OPIOID PRESCRIBING FOR CHRONIC PAIN
Guidelines
for Marin County Clinicians Although prescription pain medications are intended to improve the lives of people with pain, their increased use and misuse have led to a rise in narcotic addiction and overdoses in Marin County and across the country. These guidelines are designed to help clinicians improve patient outcomes and limit the risk of unintended harm when considering the use of opioids for the treatment of chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP).
ASSESSMENT AND MONITORING PATIENT AND FAMILY INFORMATION PATIENT/PROVIDER AGREEMENTS CHRONIC NON-CANCER PAIN TREATMENT RECOMMENDATIONS NON-NARCOTIC ALTERNATIVES
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These guidelines do not address the use of opioids for acute pain, nor do they address the use of opioids for the treatment of pain at the end of life. These guidelines are intended to supplement and not replace individual prescriber’s clinical judgment. For prescribers considering opioids for the treatment of chronic non-cancer pain, these guidelines suggest key practices in the following areas:
CAUTIONS REGARDING CO-MORBIDITIES OR INTERACTIONS RELATIONSHIP WITH PHARMACIES AND EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS SAFE STORAGE AND DISPOSAL ADDICTION AND DEPENDENCE REFERRALS
These guidelines were developed in collaboration between Marin County Department of Health and Human Services, the RxSafe Marin Prescribers and Pharmacists Committee, and the Marin Medical Society.
MARIN COUNTY PHYSICIAN AND PHARMACIST OPIOID PRESCRIBING GUIDELINES — 1
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