Regardless of whether they know it, many case managers are faced with patients and clients each day who are struggling with opioid use disorder (OUD). As rates of OUD continue to increase, it is essential for case managers to hone their skills of confidently recognizing and addressing the disorder.

A Maine family planning clinic launched a program to reach women who experience barriers to reproductive healthcare, counseling, and testing for sexually transmitted infections. The program focused on outreach, sending an educator to various locations and providing an educational session for women who are especially vulnerable, including those who use opioids.

Long before the COVID-19 pandemic, frontline providers were confronting an epidemic of patients struggling with opioid use disorders (OUD). Recognizing the urgent need for improvement in this area, the American College of Emergency Physicians is rolling out a new accreditation program that is aimed at nudging EDs across the country to up their game when it comes to both the treatment of pain and the way they manage patients who present with OUD.

Oliceridine should be prescribed to adults to manage acute pain severe enough to require intravenous opioid analgesic and for whom alternative treatment has not worked.

When compared to an initial visit with a primary care physician, patients who initially received care for new-onset low back pain from a chiropractor, physical therapist, or acupuncturist had decreased odds of both early and long-term opioid use.

Opioid therapy can be an effective form of pain management in the ED for acute painful conditions. The risk of addiction and abuse should be considered in every case. Alternatives to opioid therapy include systemic agents, such as acetaminophen, NSAIDs, lidocaine, alpha agonists, anticonvulsants, ketamine, corticosteroids, and local and regional anesthesia.