Policy Brief on Opioid

Policy Brief on Curbing Misuse of Opioids
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Policy Brief on Curbing Misuse of Opioids
Issue Summary
President Trump’s administration declared the opioid epidemic. The declaration was in response to the increased abuse and cases of addiction for illicit, prescription and pain medication. In response, the government found it prudent to initiate new laws and policies that would help tighten the control and create awareness to the society regarding the use of opioids. Unfortunately, other stakeholders hold different views regarding limiting access to pain treatment amongst cancer patients. As a result, a viable treatment plan that would ensure that the patients have access to ideal pain treatment and reprieve is inevitable.
Relevant Background Information
Pain management is a critical aspect of the medical world, especially for cancer patients. The use of opioid interventions when other treatment options have proved ineffective is known to provide relevant relief to patients. Unfortunately, the use of opioids has created another challenge whereby patients are now exhibiting incidences of addiction and drug abuse amongst patients (Wickramatilake, Zur, Mulvaney-Day, Klimo, Selmi, & Harwood, 2017). Inadvertently, the prescription of opioids should be used for short periods (Lucas, Neeper, Linde & Bennett, 2017). Unfortunately, Madras (2017), mentions that patients who develop addiction trigger the need to address alternative issues besides the provision of comfort amongst patients who experience chronic pain during treatment.

Alternative Recommendations Analysis
Several alternatives have been suggested to help curb the matter. Model training programs for healthcare providers have been fronted as ideal methods to help identify and respond to patients who are likely to become addicted. Alternatively, the development of genomic variations for opioids has also been considered as an ideal method to help end the opioid epidemic. Finally, Naegle, Mitchell, Flinter, Dunphy, Vanhook & Delaney, (2017) fronts the idea of the use of alternative pain management approaches including acupuncture and hypnosis may also be considered to help patients manage pain.
Action Required
The implementation of the above policies is dependent on the contributions of all the stakeholders. An analysis of the effectiveness of every method suggested should be conducted prior to the implementation. The method that suffices and meets patient needs can be considered for implementation. The ultimate goal should be that the comfort of the patient is paramount.

References
Lucas, G., Neeper, M., Linde, B., & Bennett, J. (2017). Preventing Prescription Drug Misuse in Work Settings: Efficacy of a Brief Intervention in Health Consciousness. Journal of medical Internet research, 19(7).
Madras, B. K. (2017). Ineffective Policies to Address the Opioid Epidemic—Reply. JAMA psychiatry, 74(9), 974-975.
Naegle, M., Mitchell, A. M., Flinter, M., Dunphy, L., Vanhook, P., & Delaney, K. R. (2017). Opioid misuse epidemic: Addressing opioid prescribing and organization initiatives for holistic, safe and compassionate care. Nursing outlook, 65(4), 477-479.
Wickramatilake, S., Zur, J., Mulvaney-Day, N., Klimo, M. C. V., Selmi, E., & Harwood, H. (2017). How states are tackling the opioid crisis. Public Health Reports, 132(2), 171-179.