The authors describe how increasing complexity and bureaucracy associated with opioid prescribing led a patient with chronic pain that had been previously well controlled on a stable dose of acetaminophen–hydrocodone for many years to experience job insecurity, withdrawal symptoms, and uncontrolled pain, which ultimately prompted him to seek opioids illegally. The authors refer to this type of harm as "structural iatrogenesis."

Opioid medications carry significant risk of adverse drug events. This observational study found that patients prescribed naloxone to treat overdose in home and community settings were less likely to have opioid-related emergency department visits compared to those not prescribed naloxone. This finding demonstrates the safety benefit of prescribing naloxone in outpatients.