<<The 2020 Lifelong Learning And Self-Assessment Study Guide, Table of Contents

Review 7: Changes in Provider Prescribing Patterns After Implementation of an Emergency Department Prescription Opioid Policy

About this Review

According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), opioid-related overdose deaths have become an epidemic. As part of a quality improvement project, this study was designed as a pre- and postintervention time series study in which emergency department (ED) opioid prescription rates were compared during a 7-year period. A group of emergency clinicians in an academic, non–university-affiliated urban hospital with 23,000 annual patient visits agreed to adopt the Washington ED Opioid Abuse Work Group guidelines to limit prescriptions in discharged patients. Their findings support the effectiveness of an opioid-prescribing policy in the ED, with reductions in the rate of opioid prescribing found.

1. Article Citation
2. Synopsis
3. Quick Quiz
4. Discussion
   1. Guidelines and Education
   2. Outcomes and Conclusions
5. Critique
6. Key Points
7. Editor’s Note
8. Quick Quiz Answers
9. Figure
10. Original Article