Abstract
The current opioid crisis in the USA arose from (at first) successful opioid pain management in three waves, starting in the'90s. Today, USA patients consume opioid drugs on a massive scale. Considering their potential for tolerance, as well as their potential for lethality in relatively small overdose, the overuse of opioids form an urgent threat to public health in the USA. Since the opioid crisis is a complex phenomenon, several stakeholders are needed to tackle the problem. Both public and private stakeholders should collaborate, e.g., in Public-Private Partnerships. Those collaborations should focus on different aspects related to the opioid crisis such as medical and societal (e.g., pain management process, including addressing opioid use disorders), as well as economical and regulatory issues (e.g., incentivizing the search for alternative non-addictive pain medication and banning aggressive marketing tactics used by the pharmaceutical industry). Additionally, collaborations should cover interdisciplinary education and training of various healthcare actors involved. In conclusion, interdisciplinary collaboration on the various opioid abuse-related aspects is urgently needed to tackle the opioid crisis in the USA.
Highlights
The current opioid crisis in the USA arose from successful opioid pain management in three waves, starting in the’90s
Since the opioid crisis is a complex phenomenon, several stakeholders are needed to tackle the problem. Both public and private stakeholders should collaborate, e.g., in Public-Private Partnerships. Those collaborations should focus on different aspects related to the opioid crisis such as medical and societal, as well as economical and regulatory issues
The “opioid drug” class contains four categories according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): [1] natural opioid analgesics, such as morphine and codeine as well as the semi-synthetic opioid analgesics such as oxymorphone, hydrocodone, oxycodone, and hydromorphone, [2] the synthetic opioid methadone, [3] any other synthetic opioid, such as fentanyl and tramadol, and [4] the illegally-made opioid heroin, synthesized from morphine [2]
Summary
Since the opioid crisis is a complex phenomenon, several stakeholders are needed to tackle the problem Both public and private stakeholders should collaborate, e.g., in Public-Private Partnerships. Those collaborations should focus on different aspects related to the opioid crisis such as medical and societal (e.g., pain management process, including addressing opioid use disorders), as well as economical and regulatory issues (e.g., incentivizing the search for alternative non-addictive pain medication and banning aggressive marketing tactics used by the pharmaceutical industry). Interdisciplinary collaboration on the various opioid abuse-related aspects is urgently needed to tackle the opioid crisis in the USA. Opioids should be dosed as low as possible, achieving pain relief with a minimal level of side effects [3]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
