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SCI 100 Topic Exploration Graphic Organizer
Link to article: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180423155043
Topic: Although opioids offer relief from pain to the patients but it poses risks of addition that reflects the need for identifying ways for ensuring its administration in certain conditions only.
Main Idea (Identify the main idea or thesis in the news story you selected.)
The main idea of the thesis stresses the need for addressing the side effects of using opioids.
Healthcare institutes face challenges in preventing the overdose due to the excessive marketing campaigns of the pharmaceutical companies. These organizations also face the threats of managing huge population suffering the consequences of overdose. The impacts on the hospitals are devastating as the emergency resources are already overloaded and getting calls from 911 limits their capacity of managing all patients. The emergency department has to respond to overdose cases instead of the strokes, heart attacks or other emergencies. The resource drain has affected the efficiency of the emergency rooms where staff face threats of saving the lives of patients.
The thesis stresses on the positive and negative sides of opioids. The thesis stresses the need for identifying ways that could allow healthcare providers to use opioids in severe conditions of pain only.
Adoption of a strict regulatory framework at hospitals will eliminate the possibilities of opioids overdose or misuse.
Supporting Evidence (Describe the evidence that supports the main idea or thesis of your news story.)
The healthcare institutions are facing the public health crisis due to the enhanced use of opioids and its overdose. The evidence states that approximately 100 deaths occur each day from opioid overdose. The drug addiction involves extensive adverse impacts on the children, parents and even the families. The healthcare institutes allow controlled use of the drugs; morphine, oxycodone, fentanyl and hydrocodone as it provide relief to the patients from pain who have undergone surgical treatments. The organizations are concerned about the easy availability of dangerous drugs as it increases the access of patients, posing risks of overdose. The excessive use of drugs has affected the health, economic and social welfare. The hospitals have built policies for administering the appropriate use of opioids. However, they need to be well equipped for dealing with the overdose issue in clinical settings.
“One problem with today's opioids is that patients develop tolerance, which leads to the requirement for more drugs to maintain the same amount of pain relief”. This indicates that when patients rely on opioids for pain management, their threshold for pain declines. This increases their dependence on opioids for the long-term.
Opioids are capable of providing relief from excessive pain. Test for reward dependence depicts that reliance on such drugs for increased the likelihood of addiction that causes withdrawal effects. The natural threshold of the patient becomes non-responsive in future events of pain.
Evidence suggests that hospitals are already working for adopting a novel approach that will minimize the dependence of patients on opioids. The focus will be on eliminating negative effects such as addiction, constipation and respiratory depression. This can be used as a standard for prescribing opioids for pain relief in severe conditions only. It is possible to adopt an adequate regulatory framework that will permit the administration of opioids in central conditions that comply with the state's standards. This will eliminate opportunities for misuse or overdose.
Information (Identify the types of sources that you could use to find more information about the topic discussed in your news story and the questions you posted.)
The source used for the topic includes an article published on ScienceDaily. To inquire about the controversial topic of opioids, a credible source is used that shares reliable information. The credibility of the source is confirmed by the inclusion of the University of Michigan's scholar, Thomas Joaquin. The selected source provides a detailed analysis of the practical implications of using opioids and the concerns of the healthcare institutes. I have selected the article because it explains an increased number of deaths due to opioids has caused many states to ban it. The central issue associated with opioids is of overdose and addiction. The article also includes the findings of researcher Nicholas Griggs who presents recommendations for stopping misuse of drugs.
Why the use of opioids is a controversial topic?
Administration of opioids has become a controversial topic in America due to the increased number of deaths resulting from overdose. This has also undermined the positive effects of opioids. Due to its misuse at a larger scale, many states are thinking of banning its use.
What are possible risks associated with opioids administration?
The selected source explains the evaluation of the risks associated with the opioid crisis there is a need for a multifaceted approach, capable of competing the situation. The common strategy due to the enhanced use of abuse of narcotics includes screening. The screening of high-risk conditions stresses on prescribing opioids only after a thorough analysis of patient’s disease. Screening involves the assessment of the other medications taken by the patient such as sedation for respiratory depression. Another strategy adopted by the hospitals includes the creation of pathway protocols. They are developed to identify the levels of pain endured by the patient ranging from low to high. The process involves an assessment of the reasons for allowing opioids. It administers the use of dangerous drugs; morphine or fentanyl only in the care of the severe pain. They avoid prescribing opioids where the patient suffers chronic illness such as heart disease and low blood pressure. The hospitals use the strategy of comparing alternatives for choosing the best treatment. The goal of the hospital is to least consider the option of opioids when other treatments are ineffective.
What strategies can be adopted by healthcare institutes for preventing opioid overdose?
The article leads to further research, by suggesting adopted for dealing with the issue of opioid epidemic include the implementation of the electronic monitoring systems. These system works to ensure that the patient receives the drug only on the prescriptions of the doctor. The management responses focus on training the nurses and staff on the risks associated with the overdose and educate them to follow the guidelines. The healthcare organizations are also concerned about educating the families and the patients about the repercussions of a drug overdose. They develop awareness about long-term risks and provide alternatives. Offering referrals to specialized clinics is also a practical strategy for minimizing the chances of overdose. The clinics and hospitals work with the social workers, case managers and mental health professionals for providing counselling services to the patients.
The consistent increase in the emergency and ICU admission also undermines the quality of service. Staff shortage and overwork are the issues associated with the opioid epidemic. The institutions need strict rules and regulations for preventing the misuse of drugs.
Should states ban the use of opioids?
Banning opioids will eliminate the possible benefits of morphine and oxycodone. Patients during and after surgery undergo extreme pains so such drugs can be used for assisting them in pain. It is more appropriate to minimize opportunities for its misuse or overdose than banning the drug.
Reference
Science. (2018). Promise for safer opioid pain reliever. Retrieved 03 27, 2019, from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180423155043.htm
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