APS recommends opioids for chronic pain

A panel of experts from the American Pain Society and the American Academy of Pain Medicine has published clinical practice guidelines to  assist clinicians in prescribing potent opioid pain medications for  patients with chronic non-cancer pain in The Journal of Pain.

APS, AAPM and the Oregon Evidence-based Practice Center at Oregon Health  and Science University collaborated for two years reviewing more than  8,000 published abstracts and non-published studies to assess clinical  evidence, from which their recommendations are based. The panel made 25  specific suggestions and achieved unanimous consensus on nearly all of  them.

Opioid prescribing has increased significantly due to growing  professional acceptance that the drugs can relieve chronic non-cancer  pain, and the guideline acknowledges there are widespread concerns about  increases in prescription opioid abuse, addiction and diversion.