{"id":3434,"date":"2016-10-05T12:00:43","date_gmt":"2016-10-05T16:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.travelnursesource.com\/notes\/?p=3434"},"modified":"2018-04-19T16:32:53","modified_gmt":"2018-04-19T20:32:53","slug":"nurses-role-opioid-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelnursesource.com\/notes\/nurses-role-opioid-crisis","title":{"rendered":"A Nurse’s Role in the Opioid Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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About 78 people die from opioid overdose every day. Since 2000, the total death count has accumulated to nearly a half a million people. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (<\/span>CDC<\/span><\/a>) also reports that out of all opioid overdose deaths, nearly half are a result of <\/span>prescription<\/span><\/a> opioids. In order to address the opioid crisis<\/a>, medical professionals and patients must be properly educated on the matter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

WHAT NURSES CAN DO<\/strong><\/h2>\n

No pressure, but nurses play a pivotal role in the opioid crisis. Once a patient is prescribed opioids to manage their pain, it is imperative to follow through with pain management. And pain management is only as effective as its communication. Let the patient know that the objective of the opioid is to get them back to a productive life, and a pain-free one may not be possible. <\/span><\/p>\n

Communication<\/h3>\n

The key is non-confrontational language when working with irritable patients, especially those with chronic pain.\u00a0The US Department of Veterans Affairs\u2019 <\/span>Guide to Pain Management and Opioid Safety<\/span><\/a> provides some examples of non-confrontational phrases:<\/span><\/p>\n