Nursing and the Opioid Epidemic

The opioid epidemic is a serious public health issue, resulting from increased use of prescription and nonprescription opioid medications. Drug overdose is a leading cause of injury death in the United States, and as nurses, we have a responsibility to get involved and educate patients and the public about the current opioid epidemic. We can start by increasing our own knowledge and updating our understanding of the problem, adequately and appropriately assessing and managing pain, and advocating for responsible use of opioids. We’ve compiled the resources below to help nurses and advanced practice nurses successfully contribute to this effort.
 

 

Special Journal Issues on the Opioid Crisis

  

About the opioid crisis

Utilizing Case Management to Address the Opioid Crisis in Central Kentucky
Professional Case Management, September/October 2022

Utility of Poison Control Center Data for Automated Opioid Overdose Surveillance
Journal of Public Health Management & Practice, May/June 2022

Provider Reactions to Opioid-Prescribing Report Cards
Journal of Public Health Management & Practice, March/April 2022

Opioid-Related Risk Screening Measures for the Emergency Care Setting
Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal, October/December 2021

NCPD A Quality Improvement Project to Reduce Postcesarean Opioid Consumption
MCN, The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing, July/August 2021

Update on the Opioid Crisis
Journal of Infusion Nursing, November/December 2020

Structural Racism and the Opioid Overdose Epidemic: The Need for Antiracist Public Health Practice
Journal of Public Health Management & Practice, May/June 2020

How Are Telehealth Laws Intersecting With Laws Addressing the Opioid Overdose Epidemic?
Journal of Public Health Management & Practice, May/June 2020

Case Managers and Community Efforts to Impact the Opioid Crisis
Professional Case Management, March/April 2020

Advocating for adequate pain relief during the opioid epidemic
Nursing2019, December 2019

The opioid crisis: Staff empowerment strategies
Nursing made Incredibly Easy!, November/December 2019

Opioid Crisis: Equianalgesia Dosing Considerations for Home Care Cancer Patients
Home Healthcare Now, November/December 2019

Methamphetamine Use: A New Wave in the Opioid Crisis?
Journal of Addictions Nursing, July/September 2019

The Opioid Crisis: The Provider's Role
Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing, May/June 2019

Evolution of the national opioid crisis
Nursing2019, May 2019

Addressing Opioid Epidemic Through Interprofessional Education and Communication Is Key
Journal of Addictions Nursing, April/June 2019

The Opioid Epidemic: A Public Health Emergency
Rehabilitation Nursing Journal, March/April 2019
 
NCPD “Gray Death”—The Trojan Horse of the Opioid Epidemic: Historical, Clinical, and Safety Evidence for the Clinical Nurse Specialist 
Clinical Nurse Specialist: The Journal for Advanced Nursing Practice, November/December 2017
 

About opioids

A Multispecialty Consensus to Improve Perioperative Pain Management and Decrease Opioid Use
Topics in Pain Management, May 2022

The Impact of Proper Opioid Disposal Education
Orthopaedic Nursing, November/December 2021

Scoping Review of Opioid Use After Traumatic Brain Injury
Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, September/October 2021

Managing postoperative pain with opioid-sparing therapies
Nursing2020, December 2020
 

NCPD Opioids in Oncology Care
Oncology Times, June 2017

NCPD Appropriate Use of Opioids in Managing Chronic Pain
American Journal of Nursing, July 2016
 

Managing patients with opioid use disorder (OUD)

Breastfeeding Infants in Women with Opioid Use Disorder
Journal of Christian Nursing, April/June 2022

Health Care Experiences During Pregnancy and Parenting with an Opioid Use Disorder
MCN, The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing, March/April 2022

Nurses' Practices With Persons Experiencing Opioid Use Disorder: A Narrative Literature Review
Journal of Addictions Nursing, January/March 2022

Hyperbaric Oxygen to Assist Adults With Opioid Use Disorder in Reducing Methadone Dose
Journal of Addictions Nursing, January/March 2022

Changing Policy Landscape: How a Hospital-Based Opioid Treatment Program Adapted Care for Patients With Opioid Use Disorder During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Quality Management in Health Care, January/March 2022

COVID-19 and opioid use disorder: Expanding treatment access in rural settings
Nursing2021, September 2021

Providing supportive care for patients with opioid use disorder
Nursing2021, July2021

NCPD Opioid Use Disorder: Pathophysiology, Assessment, and Effective Interventions
AJN, American Journal of Nursing, June 2020

Traumatic Brain Injury and Opioid Overdose Among Post-9/11 Veterans With Long-Term Opioid Treatment of Chronic Pain
Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, May/June 2020

NCPD Caring for the hospitalized patient with opioid use disorder
Nursing made Incredibly Easy!, January/February 2020

NCPD Acute Pain Management for People with Opioid Use Disorder
AJN, American Journal of Nursing, October 2018

NCPD Chronic Pain, Impulsivity, and Risk for Opioid Misuse
Topics in Pain Management, July 2018
 

NCPD Identifying and Assessing the Substance-Exposed Infant
The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing, March/April 2015

NCPD The Baltimore Buprenorphine Initiative: Understanding the Role of Buprenorphine in Addressing Heroin Addiction in an Urban-Based Community
Journal of Addictions Nursing, January/March 2014
 

For advanced practice nurses

The NP and medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder
The Nurse Practitioner, July 2022

 

The role of NPs in medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder
The Nurse Practitioner, May 2018

NCPD Making the Journey from Opioid and Heroin Addiction: One Map for the Clinical Nurse Specialist
Clinical Nurse Specialist: The Journal for Advanced Nursing Practice, September/October 2016

Advocate for NPs to be part of the solution to the opioid epidemic
The Nurse Practitioner, August 2016