The Opiate Epidemic - Free Access Article Collection

 

The opioid epidemic has been characterized by unprecedented increases in prescription and nonmedical pharmaceutical opioid use, heroin and pharmaceutical opioid use disorders, and associated deaths.

As a result, on a daily basis, practitioners in a wide range of clinical settings are now confronted with the difficulties of managing opioid medications and opioid use disorders, often in conjunction with chronic pain syndromes.

Unfortunately, practitioners may not have been taught the skills necessary to integrate risk reduction, addiction assessment, and treatment into routine clinical practice.

Further, there is an inadequate number of providers with the inclination and expertise to treat opioid use disorders to meet the current need for treatment.

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