Three ways pediatricians can tackle the opioid epidemic head on - Healio

ANAHEIM, Calif. — There are 3 ways a superior attraction pediatrician tin tackle the opioid epidemic caput on, according to an adept connected addiction successful young people.

Scott E. Hadland, MD, MPH, division main of teen and young big medicine astatine Massachusetts General for Children and Harvard Medical School, delivered the proposal successful a plenary league astatine the AAP National Conference & Exhibition.

“The U.S. is silently astir to surpass a truly grim milestone, and that is that we're astir to acquisition our 1 millionth overdose decease since the crook of the century,” Hadland said. “Last year, much than 100,000 Americans died of an overdose successful this country, and arsenic a pediatrician who takes attraction of young radical who conflict with addiction successful my practice, close successful our superior attraction environment, I spot the powerfulness that pediatricians tin person to bash their portion to instrumentality this on.”

Hadland presented information showing that overdose deaths among teens aged 14 to 18 years person progressively been caused by fentanyl, reaching a highest of conscionable much than 4 deaths per 100,000 patients successful the property radical successful 2021.

“[Fentanyl is] astatine slightest 50 to 100 times much potent than heroin, and it present comprises astir 75%, oregon astir three-quarters of each opioid overdose deaths successful teens,” Hadland said.

“It’s really a poly-substance usage situation due to the fact that it is present much communal for a teen to overdose not conscionable connected opioids alone, but opioids positive thing else,” Hadland said. “Most commonly it's cocaine, 2nd astir commonly it's a benzodiazepine.”

Hadland suggested 3 ways to tackle the situation caput connected successful practices. The archetypal is by having superior attraction physicians surface for substance usage and usage a validated instrumentality to gauge a patient’s likelihood for immoderate existing issues with substances. In his practice, patients privately capable retired screening documents connected iPads regarding however often they usage alcohol, cannabis oregon baccy upon accomplishment for their appointments. Use of these 3 substances “once oregon doubly monthly” oregon “weekly” could bespeak much superior issues, Hadland said

“[Opioid addiction] is exceedingly uncommon for a young idiosyncratic who has ne'er tried tobacco, intoxicant oregon cannabis, and truthful if a young idiosyncratic isn't utilizing immoderate of those substances, conscionable halt close there,” Hadland said. “But if they person utilized 1 of those substances [and] if they're utilizing monthly, that powerfully correlates to them having a mild to mean substance usage disorder, and if they're utilizing play oregon more, that correlates to having a terrible substance usage disorder.”

He adjacent recommended that superior attraction practitioners absorption connected delivering evidenced-based attraction specified arsenic addiction treatment, overdose prevention and harm simplification done their ain signifier oregon done referrals.

“Ideally, [evidence-based attraction for opioid usage disorder] should see medication,” helium said, and named naltrexone and methadone, some FDA approved for radical aged 18 years oregon older, and buprenorphine, which is approved for usage successful patients aged 16 years oregon older.

Hadland besides suggested prescribing the overdose reversal cause naloxone for each patients connected an opioid oregon for those who usage opioids regularly.

Finally, Hadland recommended utilizing nonstigmatizing connection erstwhile moving with children oregon families affected by substance abuse, including reducing the usage of problematic presumption specified arsenic “substance abuser,” “substance abuse” and “clean” and replacing them with the preferred presumption “person with substance usage disorder,” “substance use/misuse” and “in recovery.”