1. What Is The Right Thing To Do?
Tammy Tade, MSN
Opioid Epidemic
What Is The Right Thing To Do?

2. Introduction
Chronic Pain: also called persistent pain, is often defined as pain that lasts or recurs for an indefinite period, usually for 3 months (Ignatavicius, Workman & Rebar, 2018).
Addiction

3. Why is this happening? Sports injuries Social status
Post-surgical pain
Chronic illnesses
History of addiction
Psychosocial
Prevalence

4. Evolution of Opioid Addiction
Opioids: Introduced in 1898 by the Bayer pharmaceutical company for the over-the-counter treatment of cough. Heroin quickly became the iconic drug of abuse spurring three opioid epidemics in the United States: at the start of the 20th century, in the 1970s and again today (DuPont, 2018).
Timeline: Did not happen overnight.

5. Disparities History Government Involvement Media
Drug MonitoringPrograms
Access to Healthcare

6. Moral and Ethical Failures
American Pain Foundation
Medical Board Members
Pharmacy Involvement

7. What will it take? How many deaths will it take?
How much money do the pharmaceutical companies need to make from the sell of their opiates, reversal agents and rehabilitation medications that they will sell after the patient becomes addicted?
Who is really at fault for the addiction? The patient, physician, drug company or the role that society takes?
What is the personal toll that a patient and families endure because of addiction.
What happens in the end, after the death and we are left to pick up the pieces?

8. References
DuPont, R. (2018 ) A New Narrative to Understand the Opioid Epidemic. The Journal of Global Drug Policy and Practice. 12 (1) p
Frank, D. (2011). The Trouble with Morality: The Effects of 12-Step Discourse and Addicts’ Decision-Making. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs. 43 (3),
doi: /
Hansen, H. & Netherland, J.. (2016). Is the Prescription Opioid Epidemic a White Problem? American Journal of Public Health. 106 (12)
Hsu, D., Mc Carthy, E., Stevens, K. & Mukamal, K. (2017). Hospitalizations, costs and outcomes associated with heroin and prescription opioid overdoses in the united States Society for the Study of Addiction. 112, doi: /add.13795
Ignatavicius, D., Workman, L. & Rebar, C. (2018). Medical-Surgical Nursing Concepts For Interprofessional Collaborative Care. (9th ed.) St.Louis: Elselvier.
Lyapustina, T. & Alexander, C. (2015). The prescription opioid addiction and abuse: how it happened and what we can do about it. The Pharmaceutical Journal. Retrieved August , 2019 from:
Santoro, T. & Santoro, J. (2018). Racial Bias in the US Opioid Epidemic: A Review of the History of Systemic Bias and Implications for Care. Cureus.10 (12) Retrieved August 15, from:
Stratton, T., Palombi, L., Blue, H. & Schneiderhan, M. (2018). Ethical dimensions of the prescription opioid abuse crisis. American Journal Health-System Pharmacy
Thom, B., Duke, K., Frank, V. A. & Bjerge, B. (2013). Stakeholders in Opioid Substitution Treatment Policy: Similarities and Differences in Six European Countries. Substance Use and Misuse, 48: