The opioid crisis is one of the main public health crises in the U.S., and hospitals are being impacted in many ways. From new restrictions on opiate prescribing to increases in opioid dependence for surgical patients, healthcare organizations must adapt to the challenges created by the opioid epidemic.
Approximately 2 million people in the U.S. have a substance use disorder involving prescription pain relievers, and drug overdoses are now the No. 1 cause of accidental death in the U.S., largely due to opioid abuse, according to a fact sheet from the American Society of Addiction Medicine. So it’s becoming more and more evident that hospitals must figure out a way to address the issue.
