We have an ethical responsibility to relieve patient pain and suffering. This includes managing pain in a way that will not cause future harm to the patient or our community.
Opioid Safety: Keeping you safe
In the wake of continued concerns surrounding opioid use and abuse, NMC is committed to opioid safety by focusing on three key factors:
- Reducing opioid usage
- Improving monitoring and patient education
- Encouraging alternative pain management efforts
Reducing Opioid Usage
NMC Health patients receive individualized care since each patient’s needs are different when it comes to pain management. Doctors and medical staff work one-on-one with patients to utilize opioids as sparingly as possible during inpatient care. Time-limited and total dosage-limited opioid use is a top priority for caregivers.
Medical staff utilize K-TRACS and other methods to screen for multi-prescriptions and/or multi-providers (including veterinarians), where patients may be obtaining prescribed opioids. K-TRACS is a prescription drug monitoring program led by the State of Kansas.
The prescribers may also consult with pharmacists and others to minimize over-prescribing.
Improving Monitoring & Patient Education
Opioid prescriptions for chronic pain sufferers in an outpatient setting are carefully controlled by the prescriber through a variety of strategies for opioid safety. These could include pain management contracts and tests to determine if the drug is being taken as prescribed.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) offers guidelines in how to manage opioid use and pain management medicine, and what questions to ask your doctor about opioid safety.
Encouraging Alternative Pain Management Methods
In addition to alternative pain methods encouraged for chronic pain sufferers, NMC Health offers a multi-modal pain management plan in its medical center and clinics to support opioid safety. Medical staff utilize a wide array of medicines ranging from acetaminophen (Tylenol) to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs, like Advil) to opioids supplemented with other comfort measures such as ice packs, re-positioning, movement and staff presence.
For additional opioid safety resources like medicine disposal options, teen drug use facts, and tips for safe storage, use the links.
