In 1987, Health Minister Michèle Barzach imposed the liberalization of syringe sales in France. For a long time, the struggle against HIV rested on this political measure alone. In Europe, buprenorphine for the treatment of opiate addiction was first registered in France and by the year 2000 was available [...]
In my December 13, 2019, article on Switzerland’s Approach to the Opioid Epidemic, I detailed the history of the Swiss opioid epidemic and the “Four-Fold” Approach they used to address their epidemic. While the Swiss stressed prevention, they also allowed for a controversial (in the US) Heroin Substitution Program [...]
(View of Platz Park during the Open Drug Scene) If you had asked me 5 years ago what we needed to do to help one of our patients to stop misusing opioids, I most likely would have said the best approach is cold turkey, or a quick taper with [...]
Frequent readers of my blog may recall my multiple articles on different aspects of the epidemic as it relates to the workers’ compensation industry, and how CompAlliance has structured their Opioid Protocols as a result. On June 6, 2018, in my article, Opioid Limits on Prescribing – Has the [...]
I was reading Bob’s Cluttered Desk and noticed an article encouraging a WorkersCompensation.com Best Blog Contest. This competition is to recognize those of us in the workers’ compensation community who provide “top quality, cutting edge, informative content”. Or as Bob puts it, “or at least those of you who [...]
Yesterday I touched on the ANA Position Statement providing ethical guidance and support to nurses and some of the responsibilities a nurse has when managing a patient in pain. I was asked today why a Case Manager would be responsible for assisting in the management of pain, to describe [...]
I was reading an ANA Position Statement providing ethical guidance and support to nurses as they fulfill their responsibility to provide optimal care to persons experiencing pain. We in the workers’ compensation industry have participated fully in the national debate on the (in)appropriate use of opioids for pain management. [...]
Last week I attended the CCMC case management conference. I usually attend the WCRI conference every year and this year the schedule for the two conferences conflicted. I missed WCRI and #1 felt a little bit left out, and #2 it was in Arizona instead of Boston in February, [...]
I don’t need to quote statistics on opioid misuse disorder to set the tone for this article. That’s a good thing I guess; it must mean our overall awareness of the topic is current. When I first started talking about this topic at conferences, about 70% of my [...]
I am always honored when an organization asks me to speak on the Opioid Epidemic. I am not a professional speaker by any means. I don’t travel around the country speaking at conference after conference on this topic. I mainly speak at the regional or local level, with a [...]
As a Registered Nurse and mother, I always knew there was more to the practice of these professions than the rules, science, etc. As I was reading an article today, it really helped me to voice what it takes to be a nurse when addressing one of the [...]
