FATE? DESTINY? LUCK? –

Jan. 28, 2022 – Health care providers can help reduce risk by taking certain precautions, Weiner says. One is to prescribe non-opioid medications whenever possible (or tell patients to use them once their pain subsides) and make sure that patients are educated about how to use opioids and dispose of them safely. When a patient has one or more risk factors—like those Weiner and his team identified—providers should consider spending more appointment time with them to make sure they know how to use the medication safely, or call them to check in following their visit, Weiner says. Providers can also use several tools in order to dispense these drugs more judiciously, including checking their states’ prescription drug monitoring programs to see patients’ prescription histories, and prescribing the smallest dosage possible that will adequately treat a person’s pain.

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