Co-Prescribing Naloxone Policy for Chronic Pain Patients on Opioid Therapy

Abstract

Opioid misuse and overdose related deaths are an escalating problem in the nation that crosses all gender, age, sociologic, economic, and race barriers. A private practice clinic treating chronic pain with opioid medication was the focus for a co-prescribing naloxone policy implementation. Over half of the patient sample was male, with an average age range of 51 to 60 years old and having obtained some level of college education. The purpose of the policy was to provide patient education regarding the risks of opioid medication, naloxone education, and to improve provider barriers in prescribing naloxone. The policy addressed this by removing the burden of risk stratification and applying the universal precautions model from infectious disease to chronic pain patients receiving opioid medications. Ultimately, the increased patient education did not have a significant impact on the number of patients choosing to fill the naloxone prescription. Future practice may include further examination of the patient barriers to filling the naloxone prescription and or including this in the narcotic contract to receive opioid medications to treat chronic pain.