In response to the increase in opioid deaths, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the Guidelines for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain in 2016, with an update released in 2022. This study reports on the CDC Opioid QI Collaborative which was launched to identify successful evidence-based strategies for implementing the guidelines. The challenges and strategies described in the publication can be used by health systems to accelerate implementation of the guidelines.

Long COVID-19 can be challenging to diagnose. Using electronic health record (EHR) data from patients receiving care in the Department of Veterans Affairs, this qualitative study explored the clinical diagnosis and management of long COVID symptoms. Two themes emerged – (1) diagnostic uncertainty about whether symptoms were due to long COVID, particularly given the absence of specific clinical markers and (2) care fragmentation and poor care coordination of post-COVID-19 care processes.

… on the specific medical indication and the patient’s opioid prescribing history. The researchers found that …

… and potential solutions to opioid overprescribing. … Bohnert ASB, Guy GP Jr, Losby JL. Opioid Prescribing in the United States … and After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2016 Opioid Guideline.  Ann Intern Med . …

… intervention study describes a large health care system's initiative to improve opioid prescribing, patient …

This analysis of retail prescription data revealed that opioid prescribing has declined from a peak in 2010, but it remains higher than in 1999. Increased rates of opioid prescribing occurred in areas that are not urban, have a greater proportion of white populations, and higher unemployment and Medicaid enrollment. These results are consistent with prior studies about the opioid epidemic.

Opioid medication use represents a significant safety problem in the United States. Overprescribing by providers is one factor contributing to the widespread use of opioids. Reducing inappropriate prescribing may help improve patient safety. Using claims data for 36,177 patients, investigators sought to better characterize new and persistent opioid use after surgery, defined as filling an opioid prescription between 90 and 180 days postoperatively. Although there was no major difference in persistent opioid use between those who underwent minor surgical procedures and those who underwent major surgical procedures, results demonstrated that opioid use persisted in greater frequency after surgery among patients with behavioral, pain, and substance use disorders. A recent PSNet perspective discussed patient safety with regard to opioid medications.