Opioids are a drugs class that is found naturally in the opium poppy plant. They work in a person’s brain to result in various effects. These effects mostly include pain relief with most of these drugs. Opioids could be prescription medicines mostly called painkillers, and they can also be ‘street drugs,’ for example, heroin. A lot of prescription opioids are administered to block signals of pain between the body and the brain and are prescribed to treat both severe and moderate pain typically. Opioids do not only treat pain, but they are also used to make one feel ‘high,’ happy, or relaxed. They can be highly addictive. The other side effects include constipation, slowed breathing, drowsiness, nausea, and confusion.
Use of opioid does not come without possible risks. If used regularly, the prescribed medications could increase a person’s dependence and tolerance. Tolerance and dependence, in turn, lead to the person requiring frequent and higher doses. Long term uses could lead to what the physicians refer to as ‘opioid use disorder’ or addiction (Gillon et al., 2017). Higher doses could also restrict the user’s ability to breath, and it could lead to fatal cases when misused. If it is the first time one is taking an opioid dose, or taking it with other medications or drugs that interact with the opioid, it risks a respiratory depression. A study by Hoffman (2016) indicated that almost 1,150 people daily across the country visited emergency departments (EDs) for treatment related to prescription opioids.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
People with chronic pains return to the EDs when they exhaust other outlets for relief of pain. Allen (2014) approximates that almost 70% of ED visits are related to pains, and the assessments include whether the pain of the patient is acute or chronic. Acute pain could last for minutes, or even more than six months and results from injuries such as burns, broken bones, and complicated lacerations. On the other hand, chronic pain is the pain that persists even after the initial healing takes place. Chronic pains could be majorly affected by emotions such as anxiety, depression, and anger (Gillon et al., 2017).
Understanding the effects of opioid use by the doctors is beneficial in guiding them on dealing with opioid use cases. It would help them understand ways to administer medications for pain relief that are less risky, and that could not result in addiction. Knowing opioids and the effects on one’s body could help the doctors prevent the cases of opioids overdose that could cause more harm than good. Opioids should only be used in special cases and under the necessary conditions.
Technology can be of help in addressing different challenges of the epidemic of opioids. The two key challenges of this epidemic are drug diversion and clinical appropriateness. Drug diversion includes using of the prescription opioids illegally. Clinical appropriateness includes the effective use of opioids for people with legitimate needs. Different technologies, such as e-prescribing, clinical data exchange, and prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs). These technologies would make healthcare professionals make more informed care decisions with more intelligence. They could also use the internet to also research on new advances and make new improvements.
Having knowledge about opioids is a very important aspect in my career. First, it helps me understand the negative effects of these drugs. They could cause serious health issues and even addiction. The use of opioids, either for recreational or medicinal purposes, affects a person’s health. With professional care, however, opioid drugs are beneficial to one’s health.
On 2015 July, New Jersey passed a legislature to counter the opioids epidemic. As Rundio, 2016) states, the bill requires by law that every licences practitioner and pharmacist to register so that they can access the state’s PMP (prescription monitoring program). This program has been created to track the people who could be abusing their prescriptions by obtaining drugs from more than one doctor and practitioner. The legislature also requires that the doctor or practitioner check the PMP after the patients come back for a second time for refill. This method shows how technology can be used in a positive way to counter the epidemic of opioid drugs.
Now, opioid has had a lot of effects on different people. A person being labeled as a drug addict, one of the effects of opioid, is a disheartening term. Healthcare professionals could have disillusions when it comes to handling the numerous patients who have abused opioids. Taking care for these patients could be very exhausting, mostly when these patients are at their worst and it could result to fatigue of the healthcare professionals. Schaefer (2019), states that there are three themes that could guide the staff in taking care of the patients during their recovery process. These themes are forgiveness, fortification, and flexibility. Patients should be made to feel that they can share openly in an environment where they will not feel judged. The use of a patient-centered focus can help the professionals work together to bring strategies that could help improve the recovery process of the patients instead of them feeling isolated. Fortification applies when these patients are strengthened physically. Flexibility kicks in when a doctor forgives the patient for being late for appointment, which would ease the tension from the patient and therefore aid in recovery.
References
Allen, A. J. (2014). A framework for the treatment of pain and addiction in the emergency department. Journal of Emergency Medicine , 40(6), 552–558.
Gillon J. & Muller L. S. (2017). Legal and Regulatory Issues: Eradicating the overuse of opioids on the front line. Professional case management. Vol 22(2)
Hoffman, J. (2016, June 10). An E.R. kicks the habit of opioids for pain. Retrieved from The New York Times website: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/14/health/pain-treatment-er- alternative-opioids.html?_r=0
Rundio A. (2016). Health policy watch: One state’s legislation to prevent opioid death. Journal of Addictions Nursing. 27(1). 51-52
Schaefer B. (2019). Opioid crisis: staff empowerment strategies. Nursing Management: Wolters Kluwer Health.
