The Opioid Epidemic and Its Effect on Life Care Planning

Every day in the United States, 91 people die from an opioid overdose, either from prescription opioids or heroin (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016). The number of American deaths, as well as the amount of prescription opioids sold in the United Sates, have both quadrupled since 1999 (CDC, 2016). As more than 183,000 people died between 1999 to 2015 in the U.S. from overdoses related to prescription opioids, over prescribing of medication and overuse of opioids has been deemed an epidemic (CDC, 2016). This epidemic has brought attention to the need for changes to the CDC’s guidelines for prescribing opioids for chronic pain, prompted states to create additional laws related to substance abuse, and has driven research to be conducted about future changes that must occur for responsible treatment of chronic pain. This article is the first of a two-part series of articles intended to educate life care planners about changing pain management policies and practices in America. These changes have resulted in large part from the opioid epidemic in America. These changes, in turn, will affect how life care planners outline chronic pain management in their life care plans. This article will outline proposed changes in policies in the treatment of chronic pain and the second article will outline changes in chronic pain management practices. This information may be of assistance to life care planners when developing plans of care for individuals with pain or other conditions which have historically been treated with opioids.