Treating Pain Patients at Risk: Evaluation of a Screening Tool in Opioid-Treated Pain Patients With and Without Addiction

Patients receiving opioid treatment for chronic pain, many of whom were hospitalized with medical complications of substance abuse, were asked to complete a screening questionnaire to help validate a simple self-administered survey. Questions relating to tobacco abuse and prior treatment for drug and alcohol abuse distinguished patients with addiction and pain from opioid-treated chronic pain patients.