Opioid Crisis: 5 Options for Action

Lane Therrell FNP, MSN, RN, NP · Mar 27, 2018

The opioid crisis is running rampant in rural and urban communities alike across the United States today. According to US government sources, more than 115 people die each day in the US from opioid-related drug overdoses, and that number is rising at an alarming rate. Whether the drugs are legally prescribed or illicitly obtained, the misuse of and addiction to opioids has become a public health crisis with serious social and economic consequences.

In our day-to-day practice as nurses and healthcare professionals, we are duty-bound to administer and prescribe opioid medication appropriately. Meanwhile, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has established 5 major priorities for managing the opioid crisis by developing better: 1) addiction, treatment, and recovery services; 2) access for overdose reversal drugs; 3) case surveillance and data collection; 4) support for research on pain and addiction; 5) pain management best practices.

Beyond ensuring medication guideline compliance by prescribing and administering opioid medications properly, what more can we, as nurses, do to combat the opioid crisis? Here are 5 additional options for taking action:

-Get free or low-cost Narcan Nasal Spray (if you qualify)

NarcanÂ® (naloxone hydrochloride) nasal spray is a opioid antagonist medication for emergency treatment of opioid overdose. Did you know that ADAPT Pharma, the manufacturer of Narcan, makes it available at a discount, and even free of charge to qualified professionals? While this medication is not a substitute for emergency care, having it readily available for immediate use in high-risk situations, can save lives.

ADAPT offers a 40 percent discounted Public Price of $75 per two-dose carton for qualifying government or nonprofit organizations, including law enforcement, first responders, educational institutions community groups.

The program has recently expanded to provide two free cartons to every high school and four free cartons to every Title IV-eligible degree-granting colleges and universities in the US. You must apply to receive your free Narcan.

Even if you work at a place that already takes advantage of this program, you likely know or are involved with another organization that could benefit. Spread the word. This is one way to increase access to medication assisted treatment.

-Choose CEUs on opioid crisis-related topics

When choosing the CEUs you need to maintain your nursing license, be sure to consider educational opportunities related to opioid use and misuse, overdose treatment, pain management, opioid alternatives, and related topics. This includes best use practices for opioids and details of treatments for those with opioid use disorder (addiction), as well as safe prescribing and administration practices. All aspects of prevention, treatment, and recovery as well as pharmaceutical and non-pharmacological alternatives are fair game.

One resource where you might search for these types of topics on is Nurse CE 4 Less. A variety of other resources for obtaining CEUs are also available.

-Follow the current research

Research on opioids, pain management, and related topics will no doubt play a critical role in ending the opioid crisis. To open a window on the world of opioid and pain management research, check out this article about current research approaches and opportunities from the National Institute on Drug abuse (NIDA). This article leads to resources that keep it interesting and easy to understand.

Numerous peer-reviewed and open-access journals exist on topics related to the opioid crisis, providing a steady stream of scholarly input to keep you abreast of the research. You might want to check out: The Journal of Pain & Symptom Management, Pain Research and Management, Pain Management Nursing, Journal of Addiction, American Journal of Health Promotion, Health Education Research, and Journal of Pharmacology Research, Pharmacology Journal, and The Journal of Clinical & Experimental Pharmacology, just to name a few.

Remain alert for news reports about recently published research studies and follow them to the original source. A recent study published in Health Services Research concluded that opioids are not responsible for improving health-related quality of life for individuals with non-cancer chronic pain, a finding which could be instrumental in shifting long-standing medical rationales that have supported over-prescribing.

If you're a nursing student, following the current research means you'll never be at a loss for great paper topics. And if you're a career nurse, checking out what's new keeps helps keep your professional opinions and focus fresh and interesting.

-Join the (inter)professional conversation

Look for opportunities to engage in discussions and exchange ideas with other nurses. Sharing your thoughts and comparing notes about how different nurses solve similar problems enhances your practice and benefits your patients.

You can talk to your colleagues in real time or weigh in on existing discussions online. There have been at least two intriguing conversations related to pain management recently on allnurses.com. One was a discussion of an article, "Can Pain Be Prevented," and another was a thread related to medicinal cannabis. Join an existing conversation by sharing your thoughts or consider starting an online thread of your own.

And, of course, don't forget to engage with other healthcare professionals outside of nursing. Your interprofessional colleagues have valuable expertise, perspectives, and insights to offer on opioids and pain management topics. When you seek the opinions of other health care professionals-including physicians, physical therapists, pharmacists, and more-you'll expand your thought process and see the issues in a different light. And who knows? When you take the conversation beyond the break room, you may discover new ways of sharing data, upgrading evidence-based strategies, and forging innovative partnerships that can lead to game-changing solutions.

-Tell your personal story

Nurses are on the front-lines of the opioid crisis as it continues to take an intimate, personal, toll on our communities. Telling our personal stories is one of the most powerful ways we have to share the raw emotion and human element associated with the issues. Whether you have battled opioid addiction yourself or worked closely with those who have, your personal experiences can be meaningful and inspirational to others.

No matter where you stand politically, or what your level of experience, your story matters, and you can take action by sharing it. A public vehicle for telling these stories has been created at: www.crisisnextdoor.gov What are some other ways you might share your story?

To sum it all up, ultimately, everyone is affected by the opioid crisis. Wherever you live, work, or hang out, remember that your status as a nurse uniquely qualifies you to weigh in on the topic and provide reliable information and resources to the community at large. We are all affected by the opioid crisis, and we all play a part in managing and resolving it.

Questions for discussion:

What are some additional ways you can leverage your professional expertise to help manage the opioid crisis?

Sources and Resources:

About the U.S. Opioid Epidemic

About the Epidemic | HHS.gov

ADAPT PharmaÂ® Expands Program Offering Free NARCANÂ® (naloxone HCl) Nasal Spray to Eligible Schools and Universities

ADAPT Pharma® Expands Program Offering Free NARCAN® (naloxone HCl) Nasal Spray to Eligible Schools

allnurses discussion: CBD & Nursing Don't Mix

https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-discussion/cbd-amp-nursing-1154830.html

All Scientific Hands on Deck to End the Opioid Crisis

“All Scientific Hands on Deck” to End the Opioid Crisis | Nora's Blog, NIDA

Can Pain Be Prevented?