Opioid use, already at epidemic proportions in the U.S., has escalated during the pandemic. Fran Hoh, an advanced practice nurse specializing in palliative care, shares her deep and comprehensive experience with opioid use in both home care and clinical settings, recent legislation, and the importance of listening to the patient’s needs.

Fran comments that we had an opioid epidemic before we had COVID. Now with COVID, the statistics are just even more staggering. We have more opioid deaths and more opioid overdoses than we did even before. COVID has not made it any better, and really made it a lot worse.

Underdosing and overdosing with opioids are risks. The American Association for Pain Management Nursing, ASPMN, has a brand new, hot off the press position statement on respiratory depression and assessing for respiratory depression with use of opiates, and who we should be especially careful to look for.

One of the things they said is that 50% of the patients that are in the hospital will receive an opiate, and of that 50% 0.003% to 4.2% will have an adverse reaction. For those that have an adverse reaction, it will increase the length of stay. It will increase the cost of the care; it will put them more at risk to get other side effects or episodes of negative things happening to them.

Because the correct or incorrect prescription and administration of opioids can be critical in a medical legal case, you will find this Legal Nurse podcast invaluable.